BREAKING: Appeal Court dismisses Kano Governor

The election of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has been declared void by the Court of Appeal located in Abuja.

Remember that on September 20, 2023, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay dismissed Yusuf by deeming 165,663 of his votes to be void.

The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate for governor, Yusuf Gawuna, was proclaimed the legitimate winner of the governorship, and the Court of Appeal, convening in Abuja on Friday, upheld the removal of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

The Kano State governor’s appeal against the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling was dismissed by Justice Moore Adumein, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous ruling. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, the flagbearer for the All Progressive Congress (APC), was proclaimed the winner of the state’s March 18 governorship election by the tribunal.

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Remember that on March 18, 2023, the Independent National Electronic Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Yusuf the victor of the election, claiming that he had received 1,019,602 votes, defeating Gawuna, who had received 890,705 of the total votes cast.

But the APC complained to the Tribunal over purported electoral fraud.

Yusuf’s election was declared void by the Tribunal, which concurred with the APC and stated that more than 160,000 ballots “were not signed or stamped by INEC.” Gawuna’s 890,705 votes were unchanged, while Yusuf’s votes were cut to 853,939 instead.

On September 20, 2023, Yusuf was fired by the three-person Tribunal panel, which was presided over by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, after 165,663 of his votes were subtracted. Following that, the governor appealed the decision to the appellate court.