Protests In Kano Over Appeal Court Judgment

Protesters are currently out on the streets of Kano over an Appeal Court’s decision to remove Governor Abba Yusuf from office.

It was learnt that policemen were seen dispersing protesters in the Dan Agundi area of the state on Wednesday.

This development is coming after a Certified True Copy of the Court of Appeal judgment on the state governorship election surfaced, contradicting the judgement that was initially read out in court on Friday.

Last week, an Appeal Court panel had upheld the verdict of the tribunal led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay which sacked Yusuf on September 20, 2023.

The governor’s votes were then reduced to 853,939 while those of Nasir Ganuwa, his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, remained at 890,705.

The appellate court subsequently affirmed Gawuna as winner of March 25th, 2023 Governorship poll in Kano.

Governor Yusuf had asked his lawyers to file an appeal at the Supreme Court. However, when the Certified True Copies of the judgment was released, page 67 of the document indicated that the tribunal’s ruling that sacked Governor Yusuf was set aside.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Moore Aseimo Abraham Adumein, the judge held in one of the concluding paragraphs on Page 68 that “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1st respondent and against the appellant.” 

The issue had triggered confusion, with the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and APC claiming victory.

Amid the confusion, some youths stormed the streets, saying there were attempts to rob Governor Yusuf of the mandate freely given to him.

Police succeeded in dispersing some of the protesters with teargas but others were adamant.