Connect with us

Headlines

Wali challenges High Court judgment declaring Abacha PDP governorship candidate, heads to Appeal Court

Published

on

Sadiq Wali

Aminu Abdullahi

Sadiq Wali, the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano state, has vowed to go to Appeal Court after he was sacked by a Federal High Court in the state.

KANO FOCUS reports that the Federal High Court declared Mohammed Sani Abacha, son of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as the duly elected gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Kano on Thursday.

The judgment, delivered by the Presiding Judge, Justice A.M Liman, was made via zoom, where he ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to expunge Wali’s name and substitute it with Abacha’s.

The court then recognized the primary election, held at Lugard House by Shehu Wada Sagagi ‘s faction, which produced Abacha over the one conducted by Wali’s side at Sani Abacha Youth Centre

Dissatisfied with the judgement, Wali, son of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, said he would reclaim his mandate at Appeal Court.

Speaking to journalists in Kano on Thursday evening, Wali called on PDP supporters to remain calm, saying that his lawyers are studying the “error-laden judgement” in preparation for appeal.

According to Wali, his lawyers had already discovered several errors on the judgement, which would give him a firm ground to reclaim what he described as “mandate of Kano people” at the Appeal Court.

Wali recalled that a PDP governorship aspirant, Ja’afar Sani Bello, had dragged him to court to challenge his candidature but won at the Appeal Court.

He expressed optimism that “we will win at Appeal Court God willing. We will be victorious and emerge winners of the 2023 elections by God’s grace.

“This judgement is riddle with errors but because i am not a legal practitioner, i can not say much on this, but my lawyers will speak about it,” Wali said.

On his part, Wali’s lawyer, Nasir Adamu Aliyu (SAN) said they had recorded more than twenty grounds for defense at Appeal Court.

According to Aliyu, Wali won at Appeal Court when Ja’afar Sani Bello filed a suit challenging his primary election after it was duly conducted and supervised by the national body of PDP.

“We won at Appeal Court on the ground that any primary election, conducted by state chapter of the party, not national body, is null and void. Again, we were not party to the Ja’af toar’s suit, but the high court insisted that we must join the suit. Eventually, we won at Appeal Court.

“The Appeal Court rules that they do not have ground to file suit against Sadiq Wali because the primary election they conducted was not organized and supervised by the national body of the party. It was supervised by the state chapter and as such, it is illegal” Aliyu, SAN, explained.

He added that they would be served with the copy of the Thursday judgement in preparation for the appeal.

He said another error made by the judge was that the notice of primary election was served to national body of INEC, not state headquarters.

Against this backdrop, Aliyu explained that section 82 of the Electoral Act 2022 says notice of primary election should be served to national headquarters of INEC, not state, in not less than 21 days.

 “We served the notice before the deadline, but the judge declared the primary election illegal because the national body of PDP served headquarters of INEC not state headquarters. This is a big mistake. The PDP was on course to have served INEC national headquarters,” he explained.

The lawyer therefore disclosed that his Wali had given him the nod to file appeal today (Friday).

We saw it coming- Dambatta

Also speaking, Deputy Gubernatorial Candidate of PDP in Kano, Dr Yusuf Bello Dambatta said the party had predicted the judgement even before it was delivered.

According to him, the Wali faction was unfazed about the judgement because it has substantive grounds to challenge the decision at Appeal Court.

He expressed optimism that they would not rest on their ores until they reclaimed their mandate at Appeal Court and win the election to serve the people of the state.

Dambatta then appealed to the teeming supporters of PDP in the state to remain calm, adding that the judgement would not stop the party from continuing with its activities.

He added that they are preparing grounds to challenge the judgement, expressing hope that they would succeed at the Appeal Court.

Abacha, had via originating summon,  approached the court, praying it to declare him the winner of the Party Primary Election conducted on 25th May 2022.

He also prayed the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its officers, agents and privies from further recognising Sadiq Aminu Wali or any other person apart from parading himself as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Kano State for 2023 Governorship Elections.

Justice Liman however granted all the relief suits of Abacha on the ground that he was validly nominated during the primary conducted by the Wada Sagagi-led factional Chairman of the party, adding that votes cast for him remained lawful.

The Judge faulted INEC for removing Abacha’s name from the gubernatorial candidate list in the first place, declaring that by the tenure of the provisions of section 84 (1)(5)b of the electoral Act 2022, it is illegal, null and void for the electoral umpire to have withheld the name of Abacha who won the primary election and substitute him with Wali.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headlines

“As You Sow, So Shall You Reap”: Imam Reminds Muslims of Divine Justice

Published

on

 

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

Imam Nura Garba Mato has urged Muslims to remain conscious of their actions, saying that divine reward and punishment often correspond to the nature of people’s deeds.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the imam made the call while delivering a Friday sermon at Jami’u Ansar wal Muhajirun Jumaa Mosque, Cotton Ginnery Layout, Zawaciki, Kano State.

 

The sermon, titled “Al-Jazā’u Min Jinsil-‘Amal” (Recompense Is According to the Nature of Deeds), focused on the Islamic teaching that people’s actions have consequences and that good deeds attract divine reward.

 

Imam Mato said Allah had established enduring principles in human life that do not change, urging Muslims to understand these principles and allow them to guide their conduct.

 

He explained that one of these principles was that recompense corresponds to the nature of one’s actions, stressing the importance of living righteously and fulfilling one’s responsibilities to Allah and fellow human beings.

 

The imam called on Muslims to observe *taqwa* (consciousness of Allah), remain steadfast in their faith and follow the teachings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

 

He also highlighted the importance of helping people in difficulty, easing the burdens of others and showing compassion to fellow Muslims.

 

Quoting a prophetic tradition, the imam emphasised that whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship in this world will receive relief from Allah on the Day of Resurrection.

 

He further explained that whoever conceals the faults of a fellow Muslim would receive Allah’s concealment of their faults on the Day of Resurrection, while those who make things easier for people in difficulty would receive Allah’s assistance in this world and the Hereafter.

 

The sermon also underscored the importance of supporting others, noting that a Muslim’s relationship with Allah should be reflected in their treatment of fellow human beings.

 

Imam Mato urged Muslims to reflect on their deeds and recognise that their conduct carries consequences, encouraging them to embrace good actions, assist those in need and uphold the teachings of Islam in their daily lives.

 

He stressed that Muslims should make righteousness, compassion and service to others central to their lives in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure and success in the Hereafter.

 

Continue Reading

Headlines

Kano Govt Orders Retired Civil Servants to Vacate Offices, Hand Over Government Property

Published

on

 

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

The Kano State Government has directed all civil servants who have attained their statutory retirement age or completed the required length of service to immediately vacate their offices and hand over government property in their possession.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the directive was contained in Circular issued on Tuesday by the Establishment Directorate, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Kano State.

 

The circular, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Abba A. Danguguwa, on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, was titled: “Unauthorized Continuance in Service After Statutory Retirement by Civil Servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government – Call for Immediate Handing Over of Official Documents, Properties.”

 

The government said it had observed that some civil servants continued to remain in office and operate in official capacities after reaching their statutory retirement period.

 

According to the circular, such conduct was a “negation to the reputation of the Civil Service of Kano State,” noting that the service had a long-standing tradition of ensuring seamless transition by retiring civil servants.

 

It described the continued stay in service after retirement as a direct infraction and aberration of relevant provisions of the State Civil Service Rules and other applicable service regulations.

 

The government stressed that it was legally and administratively untenable for any officer to remain in service or perform official functions beyond the statutory limit.

 

Consequently, all civil servants who had retired either by age or length of service were directed to immediately exit and hand over all official documents, government property and duties to their immediate subordinates in their respective ministries, departments and agencies.

 

The circular also directed all Accounting Officers, including Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives, as well as Directors of Administration and Personnel Management, to ensure strict and immediate compliance with the directive.

 

It warned that any officer found aiding, abetting or condoning the continued stay of a retired officer in service would face appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.

 

The directive takes immediate effect, the circular stated.

 

Continue Reading

Headlines

Kano Settles N32bn Pension, Gratuity Liabilities, Says Gov Yusuf

Published

on

 

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf says his administration has settled approximately N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of gratuities and related liabilities owed to retirees in the state.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that Gov Yusuf disclosed this on Thursday while addressing residents at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano.

 

The governor said the government had also sustained the regular payment of monthly pensions while increasing the minimum monthly pension from N5,000 to N20,000.

 

He said the welfare of workers and pensioners remained a priority of his administration, citing timely payment of salaries, improved remuneration and measures aimed at strengthening the public service.

 

According to him, the state has maintained the practice of paying workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month while implementing the N71,000 minimum wage for civil servants.

 

Gov Yusuf also said his administration was sponsoring public servants for professional training, including programmes at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), to strengthen their administrative and leadership capacity.

 

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a professional and motivated workforce, while ensuring that the contributions and sacrifices of serving workers and retirees were recognised and treated with dignity.

 

Continue Reading

Trending