In a significant turn of events, the Court of Appeal in Abuja nullified the election victory of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, and instead, affirmed Nasir Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the legitimate winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election. The verdict, delivered by a three-member panel of justices led by Justice Moore A. Adumein, was based on Yusuf’s membership status within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The panel’s decision revolved around Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandates every political party to maintain a register of its members. The court found that Yusuf, representing NNPP, had not submitted or provided any verifiable evidence of his membership in the party, rendering him unqualified to contest the election.
Justice Adumein highlighted, ‘The appellant, to his own detriment, failed to present his NNPP membership registrar or provide a sworn statement confirming his affiliation with the party.’ This lack of documentation led to the court’s determination that Yusuf was not a bona fide member of NNPP during his purported sponsorship for the March Governorship Election.
It’s worth noting that previously, the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had already declared Gawuna as the rightful winner, citing electoral irregularities such as the use of over 160,000 unsigned and unstamped ballot papers. This decision reduced Yusuf’s votes by 165,663 due to these invalid ballots, ultimately strengthening Gawuna’s lead.
