The Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Kano, has declared the Kano gubernatorial election between Governor Kabir Yusuf Abba Gida Gida and the APC’s Nasiru Gawana as inconclusive.*
On March 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the NNPP Candidate, Yusuf, as the winner with 1,019,602 votes against the APC Candidate, Nasiru Gawuna’s 890,705 votes in the Governorship poll held on March 18.
Despite Gawuna conceding defeat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) approached the tribunal on April 9, seeking redress in a case titled APC v. INEC, Kabir Yusuf & NNPP (EPT/KN/GOV/01/2023). The APC’s petition centered on several grounds, including Kabir Yusuf’s alleged non-membership in the NNPP at the time of the election, substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, and the election’s margin of lead being less than the number of cancelled votes.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebey, dismissed all preliminary objections from the petitioner and respondents, indicating that there was prima facie evidence warranting a thorough examination of the petition as a court of first instance.
The learned Judge cited a recent Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) case and ruled that it was not the duty of the Court to determine a political party member’s status. Therefore, the tribunal declared the Kano gubernatorial election inconclusive in a ruling delivered via Zoom due to the absence of the judges in person.*
This decision by the tribunal implies that the election outcome will be further examined, and the final result may be subject to review, potentially affecting the current status of the governorship in Kano State.
