Abba Yusuf to appeal Kano tribunal judgement, calls for calm

Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano,  says he has instructed his legal team to file an appeal against the ruling of the election petition tribunal that nullified his electoral victory.

In a message posted on the platform X on Wednesday night, Yusuf described the tribunal ruling as a “temporary setback “.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday via Zoom, the tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf.

The tribunal also affirmed Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of the state.

Following the judgement, the Kano police command declared a 24-hour curfew in the state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

However, the governor called on the residents to remain “calm and be law-abiding”, adding that people should not take the law into their hands.

He added that security agents have already been directed to ensure the full protection of “lives and property of innocent citizens across the state”.

“You would recall that on March 18, 2023, you came out en mass and voted for me as your Governor with a total votes of 1,019,602 and a margin of 128,897 votes between my humble self and second place,” he wrote.

“Subsequently, I was duly sworn in as your elected Governor on May 29, 2023. You may also recall that the party that lost the election took us to court.

“However, after almost six months of proceedings at the governorship election petition tribunal, today Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the judges of the tribunal have in their own wisdom delivered their ruling.

“As human beings, their judgement may not be absolutely perfect, there are errors and misapplication of the law as pointed out by our legal team.

“That is why our constitution provides for other stages to go on with such as the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“On this note, we have already instructed our legal team to appeal this judgement as soon as possible to ensure that justice is done.

“I therefore call on all the good people of Kano State to be calm and remain law-abiding. People should not take the law into their hands, and security agents have already been directed to ensure the full protection of lives and property of innocent citizens across the State.

“We want to assure you that this will neither dampen our spirit nor slow us down, as this is a temporary setback for our State which we will overcome by the grace of Almighty Allah (SWT).”