Appeal Court Upholds Tribunal Decision, Ousts Kano Gov for Electoral Law Breach

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the Election Petitions Tribunal’s decision to oust Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State.

In its Friday judgment, the Appeal Court concurred with the tribunal, asserting that Abba Yusuf’s candidacy violated electoral laws, making him ineligible for the election.

This affirmation comes nearly two months after the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, on September 20, declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 election, deducting 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total due to invalid ballots.

Yusuf, who ran on the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) platform, had initially been declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in March.

Nasiru Gawuna, conceding defeat in March, cited his acceptance as a “good Muslim” and mentioned his campaign team’s unsuccessful request for an INEC review, which confirmed Yusuf as the election winner.