*ANPP kick, as state govt declares 24-hour curfew 

The Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has sacked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, declaring Nasir Gawuna the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the March 18 election.

Yusuf, who contested on the platform of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Even though Gawuna, his APC rival congratulated him, the party, APC,  proceeded to court.

On Wednesday, the three-man panel ordered the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return which INEC presented to Governor Yusuf and directed it should be issued to Gawuna.

The court deducted 165,663 votes from Gov. Yusuf’s total declared votes as invalid votes, stating that the ballot papers (165,663) were neither stamped nor signed and therefore invalid.

According to the judge, the ballot papers for the 165,663 votes were not signed and stamped, therefore, they were invalid and constitute votes for only the NNPP and no other political party.

INEC had declared that the NNPP polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC whose candidate scored 890,705 votes. The NNPP candidate won with a margin of 128,897 votes.

The tribunal also said the issue of sponsorship and party membership is an internal affair of the party.

Meanwhile, the Kano State government on Wednesday declared a 24-hour curfew in the state to avoid a breakdown of law and order following the judgment by the Tribunal.

Security was beefed up across Kano metropolis immediately after the judgment of the three-man election tribunal led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Gumel, who confirmed the curfew order in a statement, said the restriction took effect from 6 pm on Wednesday to 6 pm on Thursday (today). 

Gumel vowed to ensure strict compliance with the order, warning that defaulters would be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.

He said, “A 24-hour curfew order has been communicated by the state government via letter with reference no: K/SEC/H/435/T.1/153 dated 20th September 2023 taking effect from 6pm of Wednesday, 20th September to 6pm of Thursday, 21st September 2023.

“In view of the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force alongside the relevant internal security and law enforcement agencies to preserve law and order in the state, the Kano State Police Command has mapped out strategies in that direction and called on the good people of the state to give the necessary confidence and support.

“Going forward, Kano State residents are called upon to note that combined security forces have already been dispatched to the nooks and crannies including the entry and exits of the state to ensure enforcement and strict compliance of the curfew. Violators will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.’’

“Finally, I wish to appreciate all the peace-loving people of the state and urge them to remain law-abiding as it’s in the best interest of all that we come together to maintain law and order in the state,” Gumel added.

Before the curfew was imposed, apprehensive traders had hurriedly locked up their shops across the major markets and shopping plazas as residents rushed home after the tribunal invalidated Yusuf’s election as Kano State governor.

Reacting to the judgment, the acting National Chairman of the NNPP, Abba Ali, said it was a replayed script of the 2019 governorship election in which the tribunal allegedly upturned the people’s mandate and awarded it to the loser.

While appealing to millions of its supporters in the state and across the country to remain calm and maintain the peace, the party vowed that the alleged lopsided judgment would not stand.

Ali said,  “The New Nigeria People’s Party receives with utter incredulity and disbelief the judgment of the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal on the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

“The NNPP recalls with regret that this tribunal has simply replayed the unholy script of 2019 by overturning the will of the people and awarding election results to those who lost the election.

“The reported judgment nullified the free, credible, and globally acclaimed fair election of our governorship candidate, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf brazenly awarded the election to the APC candidate, Nasiru Gawuna.’

‘’The decision of the tribunal is a slap on the face of Constitutionalism and the rule of law and is capable of further discouraging the electorate from having confidence in the judiciary. The NNPP will appeal this most unfair judgment,” the party stated.

The counsel to the NNPP, Bashir Wada, said his clients would appeal against the judgment of the tribunal.

He stated, “The tribunal has delivered its own judgment, we are going to consult our clients and I can assure you that we are going to appeal against this judgment because it is a judgment which we felt does not manifest the justice of the matter and I can assure this decision will be set aside on appeal.

‘’It is not a new thing if you look at the decision that has been taken by the tribunal in Osun state, it  is almost the same as this one that the tribunal without evidence can go and look at the document that was tendered before it. I can assure you this judgment will not see the light of the day in the Court of Appeal, by God’s grace.”

The Spokesperson for the NNPP Presidential Campaign Council, Ladipo Johnson, also said the party would appeal the verdict.

He said, “I have not seen the judgment but all I can say is that we are going to appeal it naturally.”

The spokesperson for the Agbor Major-led faction of the party, Abdulrazaq Abdulsalam, regretted the judgment, noting that the party still has other legal options it could explore to recover the mandate.