Kano election: Will Abba Yusuf return as governor? Appeal Court to decide

Kano State is on edge as the Court of Appeal gears up to hear the appeal filed by ousted Governor Abba Yusuf against the election petition tribunal’s judgment that nullified his election victory.

The court, in a hearing notice obtained by Vanguard, has indicated that the case, bearing the number CA/KN/EP/GOV/KAN/34/2023, will be heard tomorrow at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Named in the suit are Yusuf, his party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It is worth recalling that the election petition tribunal had declared the APC candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, the rightful winner of the March 18, 2023,  Kano governorship election in the state.

The tribunal invalidated Yusuf’s election by nullifying 165,663 votes, citing the absence of INEC signatures or stamps on the ballot papers.

Read alsoKano governor hires Tinubu’s lawyer to challenge tribunal ruling

INEC had initially declared Yusuf the winner after he garnered 1,019,602 votes, while his opponent, Nasiru Gawuna, secured 890,705 votes.

However, following the tribunal’s deduction of the invalidated votes from Yusuf’s tally, his final score dropped to 853,939, a deficit of over 30,000 votes compared to Gawuna’s 890,705 votes.

Consequently, the tribunal declared the APC candidate the victor of the governorship election and instructed INEC to withdraw Yusuf’s certificate of return and issue a new one to Gawuna.

Unconvinced by the tribunal’s decision, Yusuf, his party, the NNPP, and INEC have appealed to the appellate court to overturn the lower court’s ruling.