2023 Kano Guber Election: Supreme Court Finally Saves Gov Abba Yusuf’s Neck, Upholds His Victory

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano state , his supporters and loyalists must have now heaved a sigh of relief as the governor eventually had his neck saved by the Supreme Court on Friday.

Abba Yusuf  and supporters  have had hellish days since September last year, but this has ended on Friday sequel to the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the governor’s election victory .

The election case that began a few months ago,   has  to do with the outcome of the gubernatorial election held in  the North West state on March 18, 2023.

.Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the  five-member panel of justices  of the apex court headed  by Justice Inyang Okoro delivered its ruling on Friday.

The Supreme Court submitted that the two lower courts  had wrongly deducted valid votes gotten by Governor Yusuf  adding  that the 165,663 votes that were deducted from what had been recorded in favour of Yusuf and the NNPP  because the ballot papers were not signed, stamped or dated, were actually valid.

A  total of 146, 292  ballot papers were actually confirmed to have been signed and stamped, only that they did not contain any date, the apex court added.

While noting  that there was no evidence that Governor Yusuf influenced those in charge not to sign  the ballot papers , the court  also cited section 63(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, to support its position that  the ballot papers were not totally invalid.

Recall that the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ,  had through the Returning Officer, Professor Ahmad Doko Ibrahim ,  declared Governor Abba Yusuf, who was the Kano state NNPP  governorship candidate ,  winner of the  2023 gubernatorial election.

 Yusuf  got 1,019,602 votes while his main rival, the APC candidate , Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna had  890,705 votes.

Recall  also that  the Kano state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had looked into the petition filed by the APC  guber candidate ,  Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna  and  in the ruling delivered virtually by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadabey on September 20, annulled Alhaji Abba Yusuf’s victory.

The three-member panel  had also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued and presented to Governor Yusuf and issue a fresh one in favour of Gawuna.

The Court of Appeal , Abuja had also later  upheld the decision of the election petition tribunal while the release of the  certified true copy (CTC)  of the ruling had however given birth to controversy.

Following the Supreme Court ruling of Friday, the APC  guber candidate ,  Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, a former deputy governor,  has ultimately failed to achieve the dream of succeeding his former boss, Alhaji Abdulahi Ganduje.

Ganduje, who is currently the APC National Chairman, served as governor of Kano state between  2015  and  2023.

Our reporters said most  of the shops and  offices  in Kano were under lock and key on Friday morning  apparently due to safety fears.

Owners of private schools (primary and high schools) had also reportedly told pupils and students to stay at home while there was heavy security presence at the Government House, state INEC headquarters, and the private residences of Alhaji Abba Yusuf and the Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo at the Nasarawa Quarters, GRA, Kano.

Sources told Team@orientactualmags.com that Yusuf had since becoming the governor of Kano state in May last year, lived at his private residence while renovation work is being carried out at the Government House-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you