Headlines
FG grants approval to Khalifa Isyaka Rabiu University
Nasiru Yusuf
The Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it had granted approval for the establishment of Khalifa Isiyaku Rabiu University, Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the federal government has also granted approval to Baba Ahmed University.
Briefing journalists at the end of the virtual Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on behalf of the Minister of Education said that the approval was given by the council following a memorandum presented by the Ministry of Education on behalf of the National Universities Commission, NUC.
He explained that the new universities would be mentored by Bayero University Kano to provide recruitment of principal officers, academic, and administrative staff, availability of human and material resources for the commencement of any academic programme, among others.
The government said that the country does not have enough universities to accommodate the teeming population of youths desirous for university education.
The Government also said that its relevant ministries and agencies were interfacing with the striking unions like the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU; Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU; Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, to ensure that the strikes were called off.
Mukhtar Yahaya Usman
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for immediate redeployment of the Kano State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner Abdu Zango from the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the State APC Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas said this, when he presented a petition challenging the outcome of the March 18 governorship election at the state’s INEC office on Wednesday in Kano.
Abbas, represented by the state APC Legal Adviser, Abdul Fagge, said that INEC should have declared the election as inconclusive for some reasons.
“The REC manifestly affirmed the allegations of partisanship, favouritism and rigging against him when on March, 20 he connived with the Returning Officer to declare Abba Yusuf of the NNPP as the winner of the governorship election instead of declaring that the election was inconclusive,” he said.
He said that the number of voters in polling units where election was cancelled was 273,442, which was more than twice the margin of win between the two main contenders in the election which was 128,897.
‘’The REC and the Returning Officer thereby disenfranchised the 273,442 voters and acted contrary to the combined provisions of Section 24, 51 of the Electoral Act, 2022, Article 62 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Election, 2022.
‘’There action was also contrary to items 4.2.16, Note 32 at page 84 and item 6 of the table at page 93 of the Manual for Election Officials, 2022.
“It is in view of the foregoing that we once again register our loss of confidence in the Kano REC and demand for his immediate redeployment in line with the dictates of the law, impartiality and respect for due process and the rule of law,’’ he said.
INEC had declared Abba Yusuf of NNPP as the winner of the election after polling 1,019,602 votes to defeat Yusuf Gawuna of the APC, who scored 892,705 votes.
Aminu Abdullahi
The Kano State Governor-elect, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has urged his supporters and members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to embark on prayers for ingenuity and guidance for his leadership towards delivering the dividends of democracy.
KANO FOCUS reports that this is contained in a statement in Kano on Wednesday by Spokesperson of governor-elect Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
The prayers, Yusuf said, are sufficient as a show of solidarity and celebration of his victory at the polls on Saturday and not miles of trek by some of his enthusiasts in some quarters especially given the state of insecurity with banditry, kidnapping and terrorism threatening peaceful movement of people and goods across the length and breadth of the country.
Yusuf also pledged commitment to improved infrastructure and good welfare for the aged, civil servants and private sector among others in the state.
“The incoming Kano State Government will be committed to a greater future of the people with security, health, education, economic, infrastructure and good welfare for aged, civil servants and private sector among others”, he said.
Aminu Abdullahi
All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the last Saturday gubernatorial election, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna on Tuesday rejected the declaration of Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP as the winner of the poll in Kano state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Gawuna in his first public appearance after the poll, spoke during a press conference by the party in the state capital.
The Deputy Governor who admitted that power comes from Almighty Allah, however said he aligned with the positions of the party which among others gave INEC 7 days ultimatum to declared the governorship poll inconclusive.
Gawuna who was in the company of party leaders, said it was astonishing that with the same election, 16 of the House of Assembly elections held same day and same conditions were declared inconclusive by INEC.
Meanwhile, the APC in Kano has rejected the announcement of Abba Kabir Yusif of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as winner of the just concluded governorship election in Kano calling for immediate review of the election result by the electoral umpire within seven days.
The APC chairman, who was represented by the party’s legal adviser, Abdul Adamu Fagge insists that the election should be declared inconclusive because the cancelled votes were greater than the margin between the first and the second parties of NNPP and APC respectively as provided by the Electoral Act.
Fagge said that there was no way the election could be declared conclusive with over 270,000 votes cancelled which a margin shows is bigger than the winner’s votes.
The party also drew attention to the cancellation of sixteen House of Assembly elections in the state, sighting violence as the reason, while the same votes were considered in collating the governorship election.
It expressed dismay saying the two elections took place same day, same time, same places and under the same circumstances.
Fagge said, “based on section 65 of the Electoral Laws 2022, we have written to INEC to revisit and cancel the hasty, wrong and selfish declaration of the NNPP as winner of the elections, and declared the conduct inconclusive”.
He said they have since written to INEC to within seven days revisit the elections based on the provisions of the Electoral laws and declare it Inconclusive.
The Legal Adviser explained that INEC Returning Officer, acted not on the only basis of the provisions of laws.
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[Friday Sermon] Let’s belief in predestination and support Jagaban for the good of our country!
