The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has fixed Monday for the hearing in the appeal filed by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) against his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
The governor had filed an appeal to challenge the nullification of his election by the Kano Election Petitions Tribunal.
A three-man panel of judges led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay had on September 20, 2023, sacked Yusuf, declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid because “they were not signed or stamped by INEC”.
Yusuf had described the tribunal’s verdict as “unfair” and “a miscarriage of justice”.
Parties in the suit include Governor Yusuf and his party, NNPP as well as the opposition APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC had declared Yusuf winner of the March 18, 2023 election after he secured 1,019,602 votes against Gawuna who secured 890,705 votes.
However, after the tribunal deducted the 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s tally and his votes were reduced to 853,939, 30,000 votes less than the 890,705 votes polled by Gawuna.
Consequently, the court declared the APC candidate winner of the governorship election and ordered the INEC to withdraw Yusuf’s certificate.
Alex Enumah in Abuja
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