Tag: Abba Yusuf

• Uneasy calm as APC’s Nasiru Gawuna wins again
• NNPP heads for Supreme Court, says verdict threat to democracy
• We’ll defeat you finally there, Ganduje tells NNPP
• Court confirms Bala Mohammed’s election as Bauchi gov

The Court of Appeal in Abuja yesterday upheld the nullification of the election of Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) by the state election petition tribunal.

 The Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had, in its judgment of September 20 declared Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the duly elected governor of the state.

 But Yusuf’s party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), declared its resolve to take its case to the Supreme Court in the effort to retain his seat.

 Elsewhere in Bauchi State, the Court of Appeal also affirmed the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which upheld the election of Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of the state

In a unanimous judgment yesterday, a three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by Yusuf and the NNPP.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had returned Yusuf as the winner of the March 18 election on the grounds that he scored 1,019,602 to defeat Gawuna who got 890,705 votes.

 The Court of Appeal, in its judgment yesterday, held that Yusuf was not a valid candidate in the gubernatorial election that was held in the state on March 18, having not been a valid member of the NNPP before the election.

In the lead judgment by Justice Moore Adumein, the court further held that evidence supplied by the parties before the tribunal established that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP at the time the election was held.

The appellate court held that under section 177© of the 1999 Constitution, Yusuf was not qualified to contest the governorship election since he was not validly sponsored by the NNPP.

 Justice Adumein said: “A person must be a member of a political party before he can be sponsored for an election. Sponsorship without membership is like putting something on nothing.”

He noted that it was the position of the law that every political party shall maintain the register of its voters, adding that Yusuf, to his own detriment, did not submit his NNPP membership register or even tendered his statement on oath regarding his membership of the party during hearing at the trial.

 Justice Adumein said the Constitution made it mandatory for a political party to have a membership register, which it should submit to INEC and the election tribunal when required.

 He added: “As rightfully found, Yusuf Abba was not a member of the NNPP at the time he was purportedly sponsored by his party, and he was not qualified to contest the March 18 Governorship Election.

 “If you claim to be a member of a political party, is it not logical for you to say so by yourself and not by proxy?

“Even though membership of a political party is an internal affair, a political party cannot be permitted to circumvent or breach the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

 “The tribunal was wrong not to have disqualified the appellant.

 “Therefore, the failure of the appellant and the NNPP to comply with the 1999 Constitution is fatal to their election.”

 Justice Adumein further held that the trial tribunal acted in the overall interest of justice when it allowed the APC to tender documents during trial, because INEC released documents to the party in piecemeal in order to defeat the petition of the petitioner.

Read Also: Ganduje to Abba Yusuf: Let’s meet at Supreme Court, you will be finally sacked

 He equally held that the insistence of the respondents (at the tribunal) that APC ought to have joined its candidate (Gawuna) as a party in the proceedings was not supported by the constitution.

 The judge said a candidate is entitled to be represented by his political party during litigation.

 He upheld the findings of the tribunal in relation to faulting result sheets which were not duly stamped by INEC.

Justice Adumein, while affirming the judgment of the tribunal, said: “All issues in this appeal are dismissed and the judgment of the tribunal is affirmed.”

 Dissatisfied with INEC’s return of Yusuf as winner of the election, the APC had lodged a petition before the tribunal, seeking to void the outcome of the election.

 The petitioner argued that the election was conducted in gross violation of the constitution and the electoral law and malpractices in the conduct of the March 18 governorship election in Kano State.

 In its judgment on September 20, the tribunal agreed with the petitioners that over 160,000 ballot papers “were not signed or stamped by INEC.”

  The tribunal led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay proceeded to reduce Yusuf’s scores to 853,939 by deducting 165,663 votes but left Gawuna’s scores at 890,705; a decision that Yusuf appealed at the Court of Appeal.

‘Appeal Court judgment, return of responsible government’

Kano State Chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said the victory recorded by the party at the Court of Appeal was a victory for Kano people, especially those who were victims of the indiscriminate demolition of buildings by the Yusuf administration.

He assured the people that the APC’s victory marks the return of their responsible government in the state.

Speaking with reporters on the verdict, Abbas stated that the judgment clearly shows that the APC is the true winner of the governorship poll in Kano State.

He told APC supporters not to worry, that with the much evidence on ground, the party has confidence it will also triumph at the Supreme Court, even if the NNPP proceeds to the apex court.

He said: “I am happy to inform all those who fell victim to demolition by the NNPP administration at Eid Ground, Salanta, and other places that this is their victory and their saviour has arrived.

“We assure the people of Kano that their responsible government has returned, so they have nothing to fear.”

Alhaji Abbas appealed to all APC supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and avoid anything that could breach the existing peace in Kano State.

NNPP heads for Supreme Court, says verdict threat to democracy

Kano State Chairman of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, yesterday described the judgment of the Appeal Court that sacked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as a setback for the nation’s democracy.

He added that the APC was trying to steal the mandate willingly given to NNPP at the polls. Dungurawa described democracy as a game of numbers in which he said his party had proven to be ahead of other contenders in the state but their expectations have been dashed by the Appeal Court’s verdict.

Dungurawa said: “This judgment poses a great threat to our nation’s democracy, because the electorate elected Governor Yusuf through the electoral process in a free and fair contest, only for the Appeal Court to do otherwise.

“The judgment is very unexpected. We never expected it will happen this way. The way things are going and with the way the judicial system is, definitely democracy is coming to an end in this country.

 “I see no reason why a person will go to the grassroots and introduce himself to the people, they will go to polling booth to cast their votes, and the Independent electoral umpire would issue him a certificate of return and he will enter office and just one two or three people will sit down and remove him. This is very unbecoming and is not helping matters. 

“Democracy is said to be a game of numbers and the person in question happens to get the highest number of votes in the election. 

“In all the Assembly members, we have 26 out of 40. We have two out of three senators. And even the Presidential candidate is from the state and has the highest (number of) votes in a state in the presidential contest.

 “We are not happy with this judgment and consider it not acceptable. We will take all the necessary steps to reclaim our stolen mandate, because this is a stolen mandate and we will not allow it.

“The people of Kano state are not happy with it. NNPP people are not happy with it.”

The National Auditor of the party, Ladipo Johnson, had earlier told The Nation that the party would approach the Supreme Court in the belief that it will successfully reclaim its mandate.

 Johnson said the main concern of the party was the people who voted for the NNPP, saying that technical issues should not form the basis for denying the people their choice of a governor.

 He said the NNPP was confident that the Supreme Court will affirm the election of Engr Yusuf and appealed to the party’s supporters to remain calm and allow the party to take the necessary steps to reclaim its mandate. 

The faction of the party loyal to the founder also rejected the decision of the Court of Appeal, saying the party still has an opportunity to reclaim its mandate at the Supreme Court.

 National Chairman of the faction, Dr. Agbo Major, told The Nation on the phone that although the party was not happy with the Appeal Court judgment, it expects the judiciary, through the Supreme Court, to redeem itself by doing the right thing. 

He said a system that encourages what he described as injustice does not augur well for the nation’s democracy. 

He said the party had expected the Court of Appeal to take a different stance from the tribunal, adding that “it is unfortunate that the Appeal Court went the same way. But we are confident that the Supreme Court will do the right thing. 

“After 22 years, our party was able to win a governorship seat. But see what is happening now. We are not happy about that,” he said.

We’ll defeat you finally at Supreme Court, Ganduje tells NNPP

 The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, yesterday expressed optimism that the party would trounce the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) again at the Supreme Court over the Kano State governorship election.

 Ganduje, who applauded the appellate court for dispensing justice, said he was sure that the NNPP would still want to try their luck at the apex court, but assured them of another round of defeat.

 The APC National Chairman, who was reacting to the judgment, told newsmen in Abuja that “probably they will go to the Supreme Court, which is part of democracy. There is nothing wrong for them to go to the Supreme Court. We too are ready to meet them in the Supreme Court. And Inshallah, we will win at the Supreme Court as well.”

 The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also commended the judiciary for living above blackmail and intimidation of some self-serving political interests.

 Reacting to the victories of the party’s Kano and Zamfara states governorship candidates at the Court of Appeal, the party said the judgments underscore the vibrancy and independence of the judiciary, and rekindle confidence that the courts are and remain the bastion of hope for justice in any democracy.

 APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Mokar, in a statement yesterday, applauded the judiciary for its courage and professionalism in discharging its important constitutional duties.

 The party urged the judiciary to continue to rise above blackmail and intimidation by some self-serving political interests, and continue to give full expression to the tenets of the law, irrespective of the identity or status of the parties involved.

 The statement reads further: “In an epochal judgment earlier today, the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja upheld the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the March 18, 2023 election, affirming the legitimate will of the Kano electorate as expressed at the polls.

“This judgment sacking Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as Governor of Kano State comes barely 24 hours after the court declared the governorship election of Zamfara State inconclusive and ordered a rerun in three local government areas of the state.

 “Both judgments underscore the vibrancy and independence of the judiciary and rekindle confidence that the courts are, and remain, the bastion of hope for justice in any democracy.

 “As we applaud the judiciary for its courage and professionalism in discharging its important constitutional duties, we urge it to continue to rise above blackmail and intimidation by some self-serving political interests, and continue to give full expression to the tenets of the law, irrespective of the identity or status of parties involved.”

 The party also congratulated party members in the two states and urged the people of Kano and Zamfara states to remain calm and peaceful.

Court confirms Bala Mohammed’s election as Bauchi governor

In another judgment yesterday, the Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Bauchi State.

 The appellate court, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

 In the lead judgment, Justice Chidiebere Nwaoma Uwa held that the appellants failed to prove their allegations of non-compliance to the provisions of the Electoral Act by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). 

The appellants had, at the tribunal, alleged that the Electoral materials were not properly filled in eight local government areas of the state.

In the judgment yesterday, Justice Uwa held that though there were blank spaces in some of the forms produced as evidence, it was not substantial enough to cancel the election, because the appellants failed to prove what should have been in those spaces. 

She said: “From the pleadings, the appellants failed to state the specific details which were to be in the alleged forms that were not put on the forms.”

The judge said the tribunal did a thorough job in evaluating the evidence and that “the evidence of the petitioners were unreliable”.

“This appeal is hereby dismissed as the appellants failed to prove their case,” Justice Uwa said.

Bauchi gov hails Appeal Court judgment

Governor  Bala Mohammed yesterday hailed the Appeal Court judgment validating his victory in the Bauchi State governorship election held on March 18.

Mohammed, who commented on the Judgment via his verified social media account, asserted that “it is a testament to my unwavering dedication to delivering the dividends of democracy to our citizens.”

An elated Mohammed urged opposition parties in the state to unite and back the #NewBauchiProject, dedicated to revitalising Bauchi State.

“I, therefore, call upon the opposition parties within our state to unite and support the #NewBauchiProject, an initiative committed to the rejuvenation of Bauchi State.”

Expressing appreciation, the governor extended gratitude to the Bauchi State PDP leadership and his “unwavering supporters”.

“This victory belongs to all of us, and I promise to lead with the excellence you rightly anticipate.

“Let’s together script a new era for Bauchi State, defined by progress, marked by progress, unity, and prosperity,” he said.

• Yusuf: judgment a human error
• Party heads for Appeal Court
• It’s God’s wish, says Ganduje
• Curfew imposed on state

Almost four months after his inauguration, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf was yesterday sacked by the Election Petition Tribunal.

But the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Bauchi,   Bauchi State, affirmed Governor Bala Mohammed’s victory. It said that Mohammed was properly declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his major challenger, Chijioke Edoaga of the Labour Party (LP) will know their fate today at the tribunal.

The three-man Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, declared Nasiru   Gawuna, candidate of the APC, winner of the  March 18 poll.

The court ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return earlier presented to Yusuf, who ran on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and issue a new certificate to Gawuna.  

Gawuna was deputy governor under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who is now the national chairman of the APC. Ganduje  hailed the judgment as “God’s will.”

But the NNPP rejected the verdict, describing it as a miscarriage of justice. It vowed to head for the Court of Appeal.

The verdict was transmitted virtually via Zoom.

The tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total votes and declared them as “invalid votes.” It said that it was satisfied that the ballot papers of the affected votes were not stamped or signed.

INEC had declared that  Yusuf scored 1,019,602 votes against Gawuna’s 809,705 votes.

But dissatisfied with the poll outcome, APC asked the tribunal to declare Gawuna the winner, insisting that its candidate scored the majority of the valid votes.

The APC also argued that Yusuf was not a member of the  NNPP at the time the election was held.

The APC, through its counsel, Offiong Offiong (SAN), pointed out that Yusuf’s name as  Abba Kabir Yusuf was not in the membership register of NNPP submitted to INEC at the time of the election.

The petitioner prayed the tribunal to declare that the NNPP had no candidate during the election.

Delivering a seven-hour judgment, the judge said the petitioner had proved the allegation of invalidity of some of the votes and non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Read Also: Gov Abba Yusuf reinstates Magaji as Kano Anti-Corruption Boss

The tribunal ruled that the invalid votes wrongly credited to  Yusuf were expunged from those counted and added to the petitioner.

It then recounted the votes, after which Gawuna emerged with a majority of valid votes.

The court consequently declared Gawuna the winner of the poll, saying he had satisfied the provision of the law.

Also, the tribunal ruled that party membership was a constitutional matter, stressing that Yusuf never followed the laid down rules to become a member of the NNPP.

APC hails judgment

Hailing the verdict, APC said owners of demolished buildings will be compensated.

The state chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, said the judgment was God’s answer to the cry of the masses.

He recalled that he led thousands of APC supporters to pray at Kofar Mata Eid Ground, the site of one of the multibillion-naira shopping complexes pulled down by the NNPP administration.

Abbas said: “The prayer session was to thank the Almighty Allah for the party’s victory at the Kano State Governorship Election Tribunal, which returned our candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18, 2023, election.”

He added: “Beloved Kano people, we are back to correct the wrongs and the imperial tendencies meted out on you. Be assured that things will return to normalcy and your businesses will boom again.

“We are going to return all demolished shops to those who were victimised, whose hard-earned wealth was destroyed. This is a promise, and we will certainly fulfil it.

“Kano, a commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria, has been relegated to the background in the few days of the illegal NNPP government. With the APC back in the saddle, sanity will be restored.”

However, until the final determination of the matter, at the final court, the Kano State Governor is constitutionally allowed to remain an officer.

Uneasy calm in Kano

There was tension in Kano yesterday,  following the judgment that sacked the governor.

There was a heavy presence of security in strategic locations in the ancient city before and after the judgment.

The Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, warned Kano residents to obey the 24-hour curfew imposed by the government.

He said in a statement: “Going forward, Kano State residents are called upon to note that combined security forces have been dispatched to the nooks and crannies, including the entry and exit points of the state to ensure enforcement and strict compliance of the 24-hour curfew as communicated by the state government.”

Ahead of the judgment,  there was anxiety as the former Commissioner of Lands and Physical Planning, Adamu Kibiya,  threatened to kill the judges if their verdict was not in favour of  Yusuf.

 However, in reaction to the threat, Justice Osadebay assured the petitioners and respondents of transparency, saying: “We will be fair. Be assured that we will read what the law says and we will read it to the best of our knowledge.”

The governor consequently sacked  Kibiya and  distanced himself from his “unguarded utterances”

Ganduje: it’s God’s will

Ganduje applauded the judgment, saying that Allah had favoured APC in Kano State.

Ganduje, who spoke with reporters in his Abuja residence, thanked Allah for providing an enabling environment for the judiciary to adjudicate on the APC petition in a fair and transparent manner.

The former governor urged calm, assuring that the next APC administration will provide a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive.

 Gawuna, who also addressed reporters, said: “Today is a historic day. We thank Allah for providing an enabling environment for the judiciary to deliver fair, transparent judgment in our favour and judgment that is true.

“We thank the judiciary, our party leaders in our state. We thank the business community and the various support groups. We have to commend everybody in Kano state for being patient and continuous prayers for Allah to give us victory.

“We urged them to continue to be peaceful, to continue to conduct themselves peacefully. We assure the business community that our new government if we come in insha Allah under our able Governor, Dr Yusuf Gawuna, that business will flourish in Kano.

“We thank Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is now in America, for creating an enabling environment for the judiciary to flourish in Nigeria. We thank members of the press for giving coverage to enlighten and educate the people. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you and God bless you.

Attributing the victory to God, Gawuna added:   “Today, Allah has made it fruitful for us to emerge victorious, based on the judgement of today and Alhamdulillah, we have to thank the judiciary for being fair.

“We know Allah is the one that has done it. He is the one that has done it for us before, He is the one that has done it now and Insha Allah, He will do it for us in the coming time. We pray that Allah will give us the health and life to be able to deliver to the people on the right path.”

Acknowledging Ganduje as his mentor, Gawuna said he will continue the good work of the former governor, adding that his administration will be fair to everybody.

He also promised to ensure the security and intensity fight against drug abuse in the state.

Hundreds of APC stalwarts thronged the Abuja residence of Ganduje to celebrate the judgment.

The stalwarts include the former Kano State governor, Sen Kabiru Gaya, Nasiru Aliko Koki, former and serving state and National Assembly members and members of the business community.

Also, the weekly meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party was postponed.

Although members of the NWC had converged on the party secretariat for the meeting, Ganduje packed his files and left for his house after the verdict.

 A member of the committee told The Nation at the party’s secretariat that the weekly meeting had been postponed.

He said: “We are all heading to the residence of the National Chairman to rejoice and celebrate the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal judgment.”

NNPP rejects verdict

The NNPP rejected the judgment, saying that it would be appealed.

Its Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Ali, said the judgment was laughable and a miscarriage of justice.

In a statement, he said the party would appeal the judgment because it was capable of destroying public confidence in the electoral system.

The statement reads ‘New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) receives with utter incredulity and disbelief the judgement of the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal on the March 18, 2023, Govemorship election.

“The reported judgment nullified the free, credible and globally acclaimed fair election of our Governorship Candidate, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf and brazenly awarded the election to the APC Candidate, Nasiru Gawuna.

“The Tribunal arrived at this unjust judgement by unfairly subtracting 165,663 votes from the Governor’s tally in order to enable it to unfairly award the election result to the Candidate of the ruling APC.

“In doing so, the Tribunal obviously affirms its belief that the vote tally of the APC Candidate was sacrosanct.

“The judgment of the three-man Kano State Governorship Election Petition is laughable and nothing but a pure miscarriage of justice.

 ”The decision of the tribunal Is a slap on the face of constitutionalism and rule of law and is capable of further discouraging the electorate from having confidence in the judiciary.

“The NNPP recalls with regret that this Tribunal has simply replayed the unholy script of 2019 by overturning the will of the people and awarding election results to those who evidently lost the election.

 “The NNPP will appeal this most unfair judgment. We call on millions of our supporters In Kano and in the rest of the country to remain calm and maintain the peace. This lopsided judgement cannot stand on the altar of natural justice.”

Tribunal upholds Mohammed’s victory

The Bauchi State Governorship Election Tribunal affirmed the election of Mohammed and dismissed the petition by Abubakar Sadique of the APC.

Delivering the judgment, the Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice P.T. Kwahar, said the petitioner faulted the election in some polling units of Toro; Dass, Zaki, Itas-Gadau, Alkaleri, Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Ningi, Dambam and Ganjuwa Local Government Areas of the state.

He said that the petitioners failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the alleged manipulation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the election.

He said that the petitioner’s witnesses presented evidence based on hearsay as they were not present at the polling units.

The chairman said the witnesses did not provide evidence to show that the results of the election were mutilated, manipulated or tampered with as claimed.

The judge said: “They have failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the APC candidate won the election.

“The election of the 18th of March, 2023 was conducted in total compliance with the Electoral Act and the petition is hereby dismissed.

“Consequently, the return of the second respondent as the truly elected governor of Bauchi State by the first respondent (INEC) in the conduct of the governorship election of the 18th of March, 2023 is hereby affirmed.”

Bauchi residents celebrate

There was jubilation in Bauchi by residents and PDP supporters after the judgment.

They thronged to the Government House, where they were addressed by the governor.

One of the supporters, Bako Yaya, said they had been praying fervently and waiting for the day to come. 

He said: “We are here to celebrate with him, his family and PDP because he really deserves this victory,” he said.

 The governor attributed the victory to God who gives power to whom he wishes and takes it without consulting the holder.

He said: “Many of our supporters would expect me to jubilate over the verdict that has just confirmed the overwhelming mandate that they freely gave to me at the last governorship election in the state.

“Naturally, I am relieved and happy that this distraction has been put aside.

“However, how I wish that we got to this point devoid of the acrimony, the bitterness, the resource haemorrhage, the bickering, the time wasted.

“How I wish that rather than dissipate energy through avoidable litigation, we had all resolved what is a disagreement among brothers through discussion, consultation and unity of purpose.

“How I wish all of us had submitted to the Supreme will of Allah rather than succumb to our ego and personal fantasies,” he said.

Mohammed said his administration would uphold the oath of office with fairness, equity and justice.

Anxiety in Enugu

There is anxiety in Enugu, the state capital, as people await the judgment of the tribunal today.

The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Kudirat Morayo Akano, had earlier reserved its judgment.

Edoaga had prayed the tribunal to void Mbah’s victory on the ground that his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate was not authentic.

LP alleged that Mbah failed to fulfil his mandatory youth service obligations before he entered politics in 2003.

The opposition party also prayed to the tribunal to sack Mbah, saying that there were computation errors committed by INEC in Owo and Ugbawka wards in Nkanu East LGA as well as the Enugu East and Udenu LGAs.

Verdict against my victory a human error, says Abba

GOVERNOR Yusuf yesterday rejected the ruling by Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which nullified his election.

Yusuf, who spoke last night in a state broadcast at Africa House, Kano Government House, described the verdict as a human error that will be upturned through judicial means. 

According to him, he has directed his legal team to appeal the judgement.

He said: “Our lawyers have intimated us that the verdict was full of legal errors, so they will not relent in seeking redress at the Appeal Court.

“I have already directed the legal team of the party to make all the necessary arrangements and proceed to Appeal Court over the verdict given by the election petition tribunal in Kano.”

Recounting how he won the election with a wide margin, he rejected the judgment and described it as a “human error” that must be corrected through further legal means.

The governor said the judgment will not in any way dampen his spirit of ensuring the dispensation of democratic dividends to the people of Kano state.

“The verdict will not stop us from ensuring adequate implementation of our laudable programmes in Education, Health, Agriculture and other developmental projects,” he added.

Yusuf called on the people of Kano go about their normal businesses, while the case goes on to the Court of Appeal.

He cautioned his supporters and members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) against taking the law into their hands, saying they should “remain calm and law abiding.”