The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, declaring APC’s Yusuf Gawuna as the rightful governor.
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The unanimous judgment rejects Yusuf’s appeal against the Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling, which initially declared Gawuna as the winner of the March 18 election. The tribunal nullified Yusuf’s victory, citing electoral malpractice, reducing his votes to 853,939. The appellate court’s decision marks a significant turn in Kano’s political landscape. However, the APC approached the Tribunal, citing alleged electoral malpractice.
In agreement with the APC, the Tribunal nullified Yusuf’s election, adding that over 160,000 ballot papers “were not signed or stamped by INEC”. Yusuf’s votes were reduced to 853,939, while Gawuna’s 890,705 votes were unaffected.
The three-man panel of the Tribunal, led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, sacked Yusuf on September 20, 2023, after deducting 165,663 of his votes. The governor then filed an appeal before the appellate court.
