Kano APC to tribunal: NNPP has no candidate | Declare Gawuna governor-elect

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Kano governorship election petition tribunal to declare the March 18 poll in the state, inconclusive.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Abba Kabir-Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as the winner of the election, having polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, who came close with 890,705 votes.

In a five-volume petition filed on April 9, the APC alleged that Kabir-Yusuf was not qualified to contest the election on the grounds that his name was not on the party’s register submitted to INEC.

The APC also submitted that the NNPP did not score the majority of lawful votes in the election.

The party argued that some of the votes allotted to the NNPP were invalid, noting that if they were removed from the total score, APC would have the highest number of the vote cast.

APC further stated that the Kano resident electoral commissioner (REC) was wrong for declaring Kabir-Yusuf the winner, adding that the margin of lead was not higher than the votes cancelled.

Consequently, the party is praying the tribunal to declare that NNPP had no candidate in the election.

The APC also prayed the tribunal to declare Gawuna the winner of the election.

In the alternative, APC asked the tribunal to declare the election inconclusive.

According to NAN, Gawuna was not joined in the petition.

The respondents in the petition are NNPP, Kabir-Yusuf, and INEC.

In a statement after the election, Gawuna said he has taken the outcome of the election in good faith.

Meanwhile, Abdul Adamu-Fagge, Kano APC legal adviser, told NAN that the court has granted an ex parte motion permitting the party to inspect the governorship election materials in all 44 LGAs of the state.