Yusuf Abba Kabiru of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has been recognized by the Supreme Court as Kano State’s legitimately elected governor.
The petition filed against Yusuf by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate for governor, Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, was dismissed by the supreme court.
The lead judge, Justice John Inyang Okoro, stated that the two lower courts’ decisions were illogical and unfair because they disregarded natural justice and the law.
In their concurrent rulings, the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal nullified the election of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) governor Kabiru Yusuf and proclaimed All Progressives Party (APC) candidate Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna the victor of the Kano governorship on March 18, 2023.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court ruled that a miscarriage of justice resulted from the discovery of two significant, basic defects in the Tribunal and Count of Appeal’s findings.
On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the rulings of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, declaring the governor’s election to be invalid.
According to Justice Okoro, the APC’s claim that the governor was not a NNPP member when he filed for office—a claim that the Tribunal utilized to nullify his victory—violates the law.
The highest court ruled that as the governor’s membership in the NNPP is a party internal matter, the APC cannot contest it.
Justice Okoro went on to say that party membership cannot be brought up as a post-election matter, contrary to what the APC and its governorship candidate did, and contrary to what the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal incorrectly upheld.
