‘Triumph of people’s wish’ — APC applauds appeal court verdict sacking Abba Yusuf

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has praised the appeal court judgment that affirmed the sack of Abba Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as governor of Kano.

On Friday, the court of appeal in Abuja upheld the verdict of the Kano state governorship election petition tribunal that nullified the election of Yusuf.

On September 20, the tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf.

The panel also affirmed Yusuf Gawuna of the APC as the duly elected governor of Kano.

During the proceeding, the tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from the votes recorded for Yusuf on the grounds that the ballot papers (165,663) were not stamped, signed and dated as required by law.

The court declared the 165,663 votes invalid while ordering INEC to issue a certificate of return to the APC candidate.

Yusuf was left with 853,939 votes after the deduction of the votes declared invalid by the tribunal.

The verdict also meant that Gawuna, with 890,705 votes, was declared the winner of the election.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the NNPP breached the constitution by sponsoring Yusuf, who was not a member of the party when the election was held.

Reacting to the judgement in a statement on Friday, Muhammad Garba, the national vice-chairman (north-west) of the APC, said the court verdict is a reflection of the will of the people.

Garba added that the judgment also shows the acceptability of the APC in the north-west.

“I hail the decision of the appellate court, which has manifested Allah’s divine providence for Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna to be confirmed as the duly elected governor of Kano state,” the statement reads.

“By upholding the verdict of the tribunal and setting aside the issues brought by the appellant, the ruling marks the culmination of a long and arduous legal battle that had gripped the state for months.

“It must be emphasized that this judgement is a triumph for the wish of the good people of Kano state which validates their mandate to Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and his deputy, Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo, and a relief from the vindictive and malicious destruction of the Ganduje legacies by the ousted NNPP government.

“Finally, I applaud the judiciary for their unwavering commitment to always remain on the side of justice.”