Headlines
Ganduje vs Abba: The journey to the Supreme Court
Nasiru Yusuf
Kano state governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger Abba Kabir Yusuf will know their fate this Monday as the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the rightful winner of the 2019 governorship election.
In this report, KANO FOCUS recalls the political and legal battles that landed the duo at the Supreme Court.
It could be recalled that 52 candidates including eight women contested for the governorship seat on March O9, 2019.
Trouble began with the reported disruption of collation process at Nassarawa local government by high ranking government officials.
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On March 11, the Kano state police command announced the arrest of commissioner for local government, Murtala Sule Garo, and the Chairman, Nassarawa local government, Lamin Sani for allegedly destroying Gama ward election result.
The police also announced that it had taken the Kano state deputy governor, Nasiru Gawuna who accompanied the arrested officials into “protective custody”.
Following this incident, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Riskuwa Arabu Shehu told journalists that the commission would regenerate the election result.
However, the state’s Returning Officer Bello Shehu announced that the election is inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes is higher than the difference between the two leading candidates.
The result announced by INEC, indicated that the PDP candidate polled 1,014,474 votes, while Mr Ganduje of the APC scored 987,819 votes leaving a difference of 26,655 votes.
While the total votes cancelled across 22 local governments including Gama ward of Nasarawa local government were 141,694 votes.
Supplementary Election
On March 24, INEC conducted supplementary elections at 28 out of 44 local governments of Kano state.
The supplementary election was characterized by violence and voter intimidation by armed thugs.
After the supplementary election, INEC declared Mr Ganduje winner having scored 45,876 votes to Mr Yusuf’s 10,239 thereby upturning the result in his favor.
The Returning Officer, Mr. Shehu, announced that Mr Ganduje scored a total vote of 1,033,695 while Mr Yusuf polled 1,024,713.
The winning margin was 8,982 between the two major candidates.
The PDP and its governorship candidate rejected the result and asked INEC to cancel it.
Election Petition Tribunal
On Thursday April 11th, PDP and its governorship candidate filed a petition against the victory of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje as winner of the March 23 governorship election in Kano State as announced by the INEC.
The petition filed by the party before the governorship election tribunal contended that its governorship candidate, Abba Yusuf, won the March 9 election, as such any result other than that was a nullity.
The party also contended that the supplementary election conducted by INEC was unconstitutional and unlawful.
Mr Kabir-Yusuf told journalists shortly after filing the petition “during the March 9 governorship election, the PDP got the highest votes across the 44 local governments in the state.
“To me as the PDP candidate the only election that took place was on March 9.
“The issue of supplementary election as far as PDP is concerned was an illegality which we reject and have nothing to do with.”
On July 16, counsel to PDP, Adeboyega Awomolo, filed a motion on notice seeking the tribunal to grant his clients leave to amend the names of witnesses and their initials earlier presented alongside the petition.
Counsels to Ganduje and the INEC, Offiong Offiong and Adedayo Adedeji objected to the application and urged the tribunal to dismiss it.
In her ruling, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Shamaki, dismissed the application saying that, “If the application is granted it will overreach the respondents and it will be an abuse of court process.”
However, court of appeal sitting in Kaduna granted the application of governorship candidate of PDP, Mr Kabir-Yusuf, to amend its witness list with additional eight “star” witnesses in his case against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Justice Adedotun Adefoke-Okoji, while delivering judgment on the appeal filed by the appellant, granted all the prayers of the petitioner.
Mr Ganduje filed a notice of appeal against the judgment to the Supreme Court, and the apex court upheld the ruling of court of appeal.
On October 2, Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal led by Justice Halima Shamaki had in its unanimous judgment dismissed the petition filed by the PDP and Mr Kabir-Yusuf on grounds that the petitioners failed to prove their claims that the election was marred by irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The tribunal also held that INEC was right in declaring the March 9 election in Kano State inconclusive and also in declaring Mr. Ganduje the winner of the supplementary election held on March 23.
It also said that declaring an election as inconclusive where there are lawful reasons is constitutional.
Court of Appeal
On April 11 the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate filed a petition at the Appeal Court against the October 2 judgment of the election petition tribunal.
However, in a unanimous decision delivered on November 22, a five-man panel of the court led by Justice Tijjani Abubakar dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its governorship candidate.
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The court affirmed the October 2 judgment of the Kano State Governorship Election Tribunal, which had dismissed the petition by PDP and its candidate, challenging Ganduje’s victory at the supplementary election.
Supreme Court
In protest to the court of Appeal verdict, the PDP filed an appeal at Supreme Court.
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On January 14, the court fixed January 20 to deliver its judgment.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, has declared that he is not a politician and will not campaign for any political candidate.
KANO FOCUS reports that Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, a renowned Islamic cleric, made the declaration in a post on his Facebook page, where he prayed for the success of leaders committed to justice, protecting the rights of the poor and improving the welfare of citizens.
“I am not a politician, and I will not campaign for anyone. However, I hope that Allah grants victory to whoever will uphold justice, show compassion to the poor, protect their rights and work to improve their lives,” he wrote in Hausa.
The cleric also prayed for the emergence of leaders who would demonstrate honesty, trustworthiness and the fear of Allah in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He urged that public officeholders should prioritise the needs of the people above their personal interests.
“May Allah give us leaders who are truthful, trustworthy and God-fearing, and who will place the needs of the people above their personal interests. Amin, O Lord of the worlds,” he added.
KANO FOCUS reports that Sheikh Daurawa’s message emphasised the importance of justice, accountability and people-centred leadership, without endorsing any particular political party or candidate.
Headlines
Gov Yusuf Joins APC Leaders at Kaduna Presidential Campaign Flag-Off as Kano Delegation Draws Attention
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was among the political leaders who attended the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
KANO FOCUS reports that the rally brought together APC governors, party leaders and supporters from across the country to launch the campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
Governor Yusuf’s attendance marked Kano State’s participation in the party’s campaign activities following his defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the APC earlier this year.
Kano, one of Nigeria’s most populous states and a major political centre in the North-West, is an important part of the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
The gathering also provided an opportunity for APC leaders and supporters from across the region to demonstrate their support for the ruling party and participate in its campaign mobilisation efforts.
The campaign flag-off is expected to serve as a platform for the APC leadership to present its message, outline its priorities and seek support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Governor Yusuf’s participation comes as political parties intensify preparations for the next general elections.
Ibrahim Khalil
The legal counsel to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Kano State Chapter, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate alleged inconsistencies in monitoring reports on the party’s primary elections in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the lawyers also defended a petition submitted to INEC on Friday, concerning the conduct of Mrs Hauwa Buhari, Head of the Department of Election and Party Monitoring at the commission’s Kano office.
In a statement issued on Friday, the legal team, Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co., said the petition followed the alleged issuance of multiple versions of a monitoring report containing materially inconsistent information about the party’s primary elections.
The statement was issued in response to an earlier statement by Bola Aidi, SAN & Co., solicitors to five persons claiming candidacy under the NDC in Kano State.
According to the legal team, some versions of the disputed reports were undated and allegedly listed individuals who were neither screened nor cleared by the party, while excluding candidates whose names appeared on Form EC9D signed by the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.
The lawyers further alleged that the INEC official had previously acknowledged gaps in the report and that a corrected version was forwarded to the commission’s headquarters without formal communication or implementation.
They said the alleged discrepancies required an internal investigation and correction, irrespective of the ongoing court cases.
“The existence of inconsistent official records signed by the same officer is a matter that the Commission is duty-bound to resolve in the interest of the integrity of its own processes,” the statement said.
The lawyers also raised concerns about proceedings before the Federal High Court, alleging that the five individuals claiming candidacy had filed and prosecuted suits without notifying the party’s authentic candidates, whose interests were directly affected.
They said the affected candidates had taken steps to establish the status of the proceedings and pursue appropriate legal remedies.
The legal team argued that the failure to join parties whose rights could be affected raised concerns about fair hearing, particularly in pre-election disputes.
Responding to the statement by Bola Aidi, SAN & Co., the lawyers questioned why the firm had defended an INEC official instead of addressing the specific allegations concerning the disputed reports.
However, they cautioned against public speculation about any possible connection between the solicitors, their clients and the conduct of the INEC official, saying the matter should be left to the commission’s investigation.
The statement also addressed Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1628/2026 and judgments delivered by the Federal High Court in Kano on October 14, 2026, which the lawyers said were being challenged on appeal.
They argued that Section 287(3) of the Constitution, which requires compliance with court orders, did not prevent INEC from investigating or correcting allegedly defective records produced by its officials.
According to the lawyers, the affected respondents had filed an appeal against the Federal High Court judgment and served the commission’s offices in Kano and Abuja.
The legal team further maintained that the party’s screening and clearance records showed that the five individuals represented by Bola Aidi, SAN & Co. had not been screened or cleared for the relevant constituencies.
It argued that an INEC monitoring report could not, by itself, confer candidacy on individuals who had not fulfilled the party’s nomination requirements.
The lawyers called on INEC to investigate the disputed reports, establish the authentic records of the party’s primary elections and take appropriate administrative action based on its findings.
The statement reaffirmed the NDC Kano State Chapter’s commitment to the rule of law and said the party’s authentic candidates would pursue available legal remedies to protect their nominations.
Note: The allegations in the statement represent the position of the NDC Kano State Chapter’s legal counsel and have not been independently verified by Kano Focus.
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