January 12, (THEWILL) – A Chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has commended the Supreme Court for upholding justice, saying it has saved the country’s democracy.
The Supreme Court, in its judgement on Friday, certified the election of Abba Yusuf as Kano State Governor.
A five-member panel of the apex court held that the tribunal and the Court of Appeal erred by sacking Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), as governor of the state.
The Supreme Court had reserved judgment after hearing the appeals on December 21, 2023.
Ajadi, after the Supreme Court judgement, felicitated Governor Abba Yusuf on his victory, saying the victory is a well-deserved one and a good development for Kano State.
In a statement he issued immediately after the judgement, Ajadi said, “The Supreme Court, with its decision, has saved our democracy. We know all along that the wishes of millions of Kano voters will be upheld.
“I thank our supporters nationwide for their peaceful conduct in the face of provocation by the All Progressives Congress (APC), which wanted to take victory through the backdoor.
“I now call on Governor Abba Yusuf to continue his good work for the progress of Kano State.
“I also felicitate our leaders, led by Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, for their maturity and peaceful conduct while the case lasted.
“We thank God for the victory and NNPP will, from now on, go from leap to leap,” Ajadi said.
It could be recalled that In March 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Yusuf as the winner of the Kano governorship election.
The Kano Governor scored 1,019,602 votes to defeat Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 890,705 votes.
However, in September, the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sacked Yusuf as governor of the state.
The tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from the 1,019,602 recorded for Yusuf because the ballot papers were not stamped, signed and dated as required by law.
The tribunal then declared Gawuna as the winner of the election.
Displeased with the verdict, the NNPP and its candidate challenged the judgment at the appellate court.
On November 17, 2023, the Court of Appeal upheld the tribunal’s verdict and added that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when he contested the election.
However, controversy trailed the verdict days later when a certified true copy (CTC) of the appeal court judgment surfaced, contradicting the November 17 ruling.
The copy of the judgment ruled against and in favour of the NNPP candidate simultaneously, eliciting outrage on social media platforms and the streets.
The Appeal Court issued a statement blaming “clerical error” for the contradictions.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
