THE Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has sacked Abba Kabir Yusuf as the state governor.
The tribunal consequently declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nasir Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll in the state.
In its judgement on Wednesday, September 20, the tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and give it to Nasiru 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.
The tribunal had earlier on Monday, August 21, reserved a ruling on a petition filed by the APC against Yusuf’s victory.
Through its lead lawyer, Offiong Offiong, APC is contesting Yusuf’s victory as the election winner.
The APC claimed that Yusuf’s name should have been added to the NNPP membership registry thirty days before the election.
It requested that the tribunal uphold the APC petition and approve all requested reliefs.
According to Yusuf’s lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, the sacked defendant is a legitimate member of the NNPP.
He added that it was not the APC’s business to decide whether someone is an NNPP member.
Awomolo requested that the tribunal dismiss the APC case since it was without merit.
After hearing from all the addresses, the three-judge panel, presided over by Osadebay, reserved a day for the ruling.
The ICIR reported that the Kano State Police Command had banned all protests in the state.
The command, in a statement on Monday, August 21, signed by the Commissioner of Police (CP) Mohammad Usaini Gumel, said intelligence received by the command indicated that two dominant parties, the APC and the NNPP, had gathered a crowd to launch a protest, and possibly disrupt peace in the state.
A reporter with the ICIR
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