Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has instructed his legal team to challenge the ruling of the state governorship election petition tribunal at the appellate court.
Speaking in a statewide broadcast Wednesday night, the governor said the judgment, which directed INEC to withdraw his Certificate of Return was faulty.
He called on his party’s supporters to be calm and law-abiding, stating that the ruling would not dampen the administration's spirit in fulfilling its campaign promises.
Governor Yusuf’s party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) also rejected the tribunal’s verdict.
A statement signed by its Acting National Chairman, Abba Kawu Ali, described the ruling as
laughable and a miscarriage of justice.
Ali accused the tribunal of unfairly subtracting 165,663 votes from the governor’s tally to favor the APC candidate, Nasir Gawuna.
APC Praises Ruling
But in a swift reaction, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje said the party was ready for Governor Yusuf’s appeal.
He told BBC Hausa that his party’s victory at the tribunal was unsurprising.
The tribunal held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erroneously added 165,663 votes to Governor Yusuf during the 18 March governorship election.
The three-man panel declared the votes invalid and deducted them from the governor’s tally after the APC proved that the ballot papers for them were neither stamped nor signed.
Yusuf remains the governor of Kano State until all legal processes, including appeals up to the Supreme Court, are exhausted.
