Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has broken his silence following the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s decision to remove him from office.
Recall that on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal sacked Governor Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and declared Nasir Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the new governor.
However, Governor Yusuf has pointed out that there were mistakes and misunderstandings of the law in the tribunal’s verdict.
He shared this information through his social media account, @Kyusufabba. The governor added that the NNPP has instructed its legal team to appeal the judgment promptly to ensure that justice prevails.
He emphasized that, like all human decisions, the tribunal’s judgment might not be entirely flawless. Mistakes and legal misapplications, as indicated by their legal team, have been identified. Therefore, they plan to pursue the matter further through the Court of Appeal and, if necessary, the Supreme Court.
My good people of Kano State!
You would recall that on March 18, 2023, you came out enmass and voted for me as your Governor with a total votes of 1,019,602 and a margin of 128,897 votes between my humble self and second place. Subsequently, I was duly sworn-in as your elected… pic.twitter.com/IUWtBonray
— Abba Kabir Yusuf (@Kyusufabba) September 20, 2023
Governor Yusuf also urged the people of Kano State to remain calm, obey the law, and avoid taking matters into their own hands.
His statement reads, “My good people of Kano State! You would recall that on March 18, 2023, you came out enmass and voted for me as your Governor with a total votes of 1,019,602 and a margin of 128,897 votes between my humble self and second place.
“Subsequently, I was duly sworn-in as your elected Governor on May 29, 2023. You may also recall that the party that lost the election took us to court. However, after almost six months of proceedings at the governorship election petition tribunal, today Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the judges of the tribunal have in their own wisdom delivered their ruling.
“As human beings, their judgement may not be absolutely perfect, there are errors and misapplication of the law as pointed out by our legal team. That is why our constitution provides for other stages to go on with such as the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
“On this note, we have already instructed our legal team to appeal this judgement as soon as possible to ensure that justice is done. I therefore call on all the good people of Kano State to be calm and remain law-abiding.
“People should not take the law into their hands, and security agents have already been directed to ensure the full protection of lives and property of innocent citizens across the State. We want to assure you that this will neither dampen our spirit nor slow us down, as this is a temporary setback for our State which we will overcome by the grace of Almighty Allah (SWT). Alhamdulillah, and Thank you all! – AKY