Abuja, Nigeria
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf over the state’s governorship election.
A five-member panel of justices led by Justice Inyang Okoro on Thursday reserved the judgment after listening to lawyers in the matter.
On November 13, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the tribunal. In its ruling, the Appeal Court agreed with the judgement of the tribunal, ruling that the choice of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) fielding Abba Yusuf was in breach of the Electoral Act 2022 as he was not qualified to contest that election.
The governor and his party, the NNPP filed an appeal to the apex court challenging the November 17 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which nullified their victory in the March 19 governorship election.
The party are also notifying the apex court of the contradictions in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment which upheld the governor’s election and awarded him the sum of N1 million in damages.
A three-member panel of justices led by Justice Moore A. Adumein upheld the appeal of Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The panel held that Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was not a registered member of the party and, therefore, not qualified to contest the election.
However, in the long argument before the apex court on Thursday, parties raised issues concerning the jurisdiction of the court in the political party membership of a candidate.
The lawyers also argued over whether the court could “visit the sin” of INEC’s failure to sign over 160,000 ballot papers on the voters in Kano State.
