THE Kano state Police Command on Monday, November 20, said it had uncovered plans by supporters of some political parties to cause violence in the state.
According to the command’s public relations officer, Abdullahi Kiyawa, the groups want to demonstrate against the Appeal Court ruling on the March 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
He, however, said the command had implemented the necessary security measures to stop hostilities from rising to the point where law and order would collapse.
The command warned the state’s residents to be careful, noting that any protest or procession should follow the law.
He said the state Police commissioner, Usaini Gumel, had asked the residents to be law-abiding and refrain from any unapproved assembly, demonstration, or parade that would incite violence.
According to the spokesman, combined security teams have been sent to key areas to guarantee peace and order.
“Whoever attempts to disrupt the peace in the state will be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law,”,” Kiyawa said.
He asked residents to notify security personnel of any unusual movement of people or objects so they could act quickly.
The ICIR on Friday, November 17, reported that the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the Kano state governorship petition tribunal’s verdict that nullified Abba Yusuf’s election.
In the judgment, the three-member panel of the appellate court held that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) breached the Constitution by sponsoring Yusuf, who was not a party member.
The court ruled, among others, that the tribunal acted in the public interest when it permitted the APC to tender papers during the trial since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had given the APC access to materials piecemeal to undermine the petitioner’s claim.
The court’s three-man bench ruled that each political party must keep track of its voter registration.
According to the court, political parties are required by the 1999 Constitution to maintain a membership register and provide it to INEC and the tribunal upon request.
The court further stated that Abba’s NNPP membership is not registered.
“All issues in this appeal are dismissed, and the judgment of the tribunal is affirmed,” the court stated.
The ICIR reported that the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had sacked Yusuf as the state governor.
The tribunal consequently declared the APC’s Nasir Gawuna the state’s winner of the March 18 governorship poll.
In its judgment on Wednesday, September 20, the tribunal ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf and give it to Gawuna.
The three-person panel presided over by Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total votes.
The court declared the deducted votes invalid because the ballot papers were not stamped or signed.
Meanwhile, Yusuf has said he would seek redress at the Supreme Court.
In a statement issued on Saturday, November 18, and signed by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, the governor described the Court of Appeal’s judgment as a miscarriage of justice.
A reporter with the ICIR
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