Supreme Court Affirms Abba Kabir Yusuf as Governor of Kano State

Many youths in Kano state took to the streets to celebrate the Supreme Court‘s judgement affirming Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as the duly elected governor of the state. The jubilating youths chanted solidarity songs and danced in the streets, waving placards and party insignia. Some of them even performed stunts with motorcycles and cars, while others dragged brooms, the logo of the All Progressives Party.

A jubilating youth named Hassan mentioned that the Supreme Court’s decision saved Kano from a potentially violent reaction. He expressed relief that people were able to go about their normal businesses without any disturbances.

The marketplaces, such as Rimi and Kantin Kwari markets, which were closed earlier in the day, have now reopened with traders resuming their activities.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturned the earlier rulings of lower courts that had sacked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. The lower courts had declared a significant number of his votes invalid, but the Supreme Court ordered the restoration of those votes.

The Supreme Court also considered the issue of party membership, which was one of the grounds for the lower courts’ decision. The Court ruled that party membership is an internal affair of the party and not a valid basis for disqualification.

Prior to the Supreme Court’s judgement, the Court of Appeal had upheld the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal to remove Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from office. The Court of Appeal declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress as the elected governor of Kano State.

The Independent Electoral Commission had initially declared Abba Kabir Yusuf, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, as the winner of the election. However, the APC and its candidate Nasiru Gawuna challenged this victory at the state tribunal.

The tribunal ruled in favor of the APC, citing the lack of party membership and irregularities in the ballot papers. The court reduced the number of votes for Yusuf by 165,663. The case then went to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the tribunal’s decision.

The Kano State Police Command assured residents of their safety before the Supreme Court’s judgement, stating that they had deployed sufficient armed personnel across the state to maintain law and order. The Command also collaborated with other security agencies to ensure the peaceful conduct of activities before, during, and after the judgement.