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Kano governorship judgement: NNPP files appeal at Supreme Court
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has filed its notice of appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the November 17 judgement of the Court of Appeal which upheld the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal, sacking Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and declared Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, of the All Progressives Congress, APC as the duly elected governor of Kano State.
KANO FOCUS reports that in the notice of appeal dated November 22, and filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Gboyega Awomolo leading seven other senior advocates and 10 other lawyers, the NNPP listed 10 grounds for challenging the appeal.
The party challenged “the entire judgment of the Court of Appeal save and except the conclusion and orders at page 67 of the duly Certified True Copy, CTC including the order as to cost favourable to the appellant.”
Listed as respondents in the notice of appeal are Governor Abba Yusuf, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On November 17, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the election petition tribunal, which sacked Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and declared the APC candidate, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, winner.
The three-member panel of the appeal court dismissed the appeal filed by Governor Yusuf based on his membership status in his party.
Confusion, however, ensued on Tuesday, Nov 21 when the CTC of the court judgement which surfaced four days after the judgment had been delivered showed contradictions in the conclusions.
In the lead judgement delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the judge held in one of the concluding paragraphs on Page 68, “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1st respondent and against the appellant.”
The appellant is Governor Yusuf; while the 1st respondent is the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the Independent National Electoral Commission and the NNPP listed as 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.
The judge went further to hold that “In the circumstances, I resolve all the issues in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.
“Therefore, I find no merit in this appeal which is liable to be and is hereby dismissed.
The judgment of the tribunal in Petition No.: EPT/KN/GOV/01/2023 between ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) v. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION & 2 ORS. delivered on the 20th day of September 2023 is hereby set aside.
“The sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira only) is hereby awarded as costs in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.”
While the last three conclusions of the judge suggested that the tribunal judgment sacking Governor Yusuf had been set aside and restored his mandate, the first conclusion that resolved the issues in favour of APC suggested that the decision of the tribunal was affirmed. In its grounds of appeal challenging portions of the judgment, the NNPP said “the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law and occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice to the prejudice of the Appellant, when it agreed with the trial tribunal, that, the party’s candidate, was not qualified to contest the election because he was not a member of a political party.”
The NNPP noted that the Court of Appeal reviewed and reversed the tribunals’ judgment which went in favour of the Appellant and 1″ Respondent on the issue of party membership, when no ground of appeal or issue was formulated to warrant such a review.
The NNPP also argued “that the court of appeal erred in law, and came to a perverse decision when their lordships mixed up the issue of party membership register for use at party primaries with qualification to contest the general election.
The party also submitted “that the justices of the court of appeal misdirected themselves in law by misapprehending the issue in the appeal when they delved into alternative hypothetical scenario…and became a cross-appellant with a grievance against the decision of the tribunal and reversed same on the issue of disqualification thus granting prayer not sought in the appeal.
“That the learned Justices of the court of appeal erred in law, acted without jurisdiction and breached the Appellant’s right to fair hearing thus coming to a wrong conclusion, on the actual issue submitted for their resolution regarding the trial Tribunal’s assumption of the role of Petitioners by reviewing documents dumped on the court, in the Tribunal Justices chambers, whereof the tribunal arbitrarily discovered, isolated and deducted 165,000 votes from the total votes of 1,019, 602 and recounted the remainder of votes cast for appellant and its candidate Ist Respondent to conclude
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has debunked reaching a resolution with any individual on the trending defection rumoured to the ruling party or any other political party.
KANO FOCUS reports that Kwankwaso, who considered the recent statement credited to have suggested a particular position as an imagination of falsehood and fragmentation of political mischief against him.
A statement posted on his official X handle @KwankwasoRM, the ex-Governor insisted he has since refrained from commenting on contemporary political events, and will continue to do so for the time being.
In the said false information that went viral, Kwankwaso was quoted to have revealed a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on multiple occasions, urging him to return to the APC fold.
Responding to a statement purportedly signed by one Ibrahim Rabiu, Sen. Kwankwaso insisted he had never signed or authorised any statement to be issued on his behalf.
“My attention has been drawn to a statement purportedly stating my position on the recurring political realignments. I wish to categorically state that such statements are false, unfounded, and products of political mischief.
“I have refrained from commenting on contemporary political events, and I will continue to do so for the time being.”
” I urge the public to only engage statements that come from my public handles and other official sources”. Kwankwaso RM.”
In a releted development, the author of the purported false statement Ibrahim Rabiu has issued a self counter, denouncing the statement as a work of devil.
“I Ibrahim Rabiu, wish to inform the general public that I was never authorised by Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso to issue and release a statement on his belhalf”
“I therefore wish to tender a public apology to his person with a promise that such childish act will never be repeated in the future, please find a space in your heart to forgive me, I was misled by fake news and agents of misinformation”
The Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammad Sunusi II, commended the Adolescent Girls Initiatives for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project for reenrolling over 30,000 adolescent girls and renovating more than 1,300 schools across the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Emir made the commendation while reeiving AGILE State Project Implementation Unit (SIPU) who paid him an advocacy visit recently.
Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi ll
He emphasized the Kano Emirate Council’s commitment to advocating for education and pledged continued support to ensure the enrollment, retention, transition, and completion of girls’ education in Kano.
The Emir also emphasized the importance of collaboration and synergy in implementing policies and programs that foster the development of the state and the nation at large.
AGILE Project Coordinator presenting gift to Emir of Kano
He expressed satisfaction with the AGILE project’s strong monitoring and evaluation framework, particularly in tracking the use of grants and conditional cash transfers.
In his remarks, the Kano State AGILE Coordinator, Malam Mujtapha Aminu said more than 100,000 students are currently enrolled in learning centers across 23 local government areas under the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) second chance education in Kano.
AGILE PC and Emir of Kano
He said this initiative provides out-of-school adolescent girls an opportunity to complete their secondary education, gain entrepreneurship and life skills.
According to him, the second chance education students undergo literacy, numeracy, and entrepreneurship training across 5,000 learning centers.
Athletes who participated in AGILE WEEK Games
He further explained that after nine months of instruction, the students sit for examinations and are awarded certificates equivalent to the Junior Secondary School Certificate.
“Those who enroll in the advanced literacy program also have the opportunity to sit for national examinations such as NECO and WAEC,” he added.
He said they visited the Emir’andalace to seek blessings and advocate for support to achieve their goals.
AGILE Communications Officer and games officials
The AGILE Project is a World Bank-assisted initiative implemented through Federal and State Ministries of Education, aimed at improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
The gale of defection from opposition political parties intensifies as two members of the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Abdullahi Sani Rogo and Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
KANO FOCUS reports that both lawmakers represent Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya and Karaye/Rogo federal constituency of Kano State.
Both lawmakers announced their defection at plenary presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
On hand to witness the defection on the floor of the House was the national chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, accompanied by some members of the national working committee of the party.
However, the Minority Whip, Isa Ali JC, faulted the defection of the lawmakers on the basis that it was against constitutional provisions.
As of Thursday, no fewer than 30 members of opposition political parties have dumped their parties to join the APC.
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