Kano election petition judgement miscarriage of justice – NNPP
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has described Wednesday’s judgement that sacked its only governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, as a miscarriage of justice, vowing to pursue an appeal.
NNPP’s acting deputy national chairman, Prince Nwaeze Onu made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, Nigeria’s democracy was under serious threat, and stressed the need for concerted efforts to save it from total collapse.
The NNPP helmsman said the rule of law must be allowed to reign supreme for democracy to thrive in the country, adding that the NNPP would retrieve its mandate at a higher court.
He said, “It is going to be a hard nut to crack for the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal to convince a non-partisan Nigeria that in an election cycle with five different polls, (presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship and House of Assembly) the NNPP won in all except the governorship election.
“For the sake of emphasis, the NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, defeated the candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a wide margin.
“In the same vein, NNPP won two senatorial seats as against APC’s one seat. NNPP won 18 House of Representatives seats against APC’s four and in the House of Assembly, NNPP won a clear majority of seats as against APC’s meagre number of seats it won. And yet the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal believes it was over voting that NNPP majority votes in the governorship election.
“The democracy system in Nigeria must follow due process and the rule of law. Due process must be followed so that democracy will not be under any threat. Everyone knows that there is a procedure to follow in a democracy.
“We wish to state emphatically that although the judgement was a clear and deliberate miscarriage of justice and therefore a disappointment, our faith in the judiciary remains unshaken.
“Every discerning person knows that the NNPP won in all the elections in Kano State. The APC knew right from the very beginning that it was hugely unpopular in Kano State that led it to declare total war on the people of the state during the last election. We call on the judiciary to do the needful. We look forward to a more impartial judgement in the next round of litigation.”
The governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Kano sacked Yusuf, who was declared winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state by the Independent National Chairman Electoral Commission (INEC) on NNPP’s platform.
Push through the storm
Manwhile Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has urged his appointees to act like leaders and push through the storm.
Yusuf gave the advice during a meeting with his appointees on Wednesday, after the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal nullified his victory under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The tribunal also declared Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the March 18 governorship election.
But responding to the judgement, the governor asked his appointees to leave everything to Allah, saying the government had a chance to appeal the tribunal judgment.
He said, “If you are a commissioner, an advisor or an MD, what of your subordinates at the office? A leader must be a sort of shock absorber. Trust everything in the hand of Allah, the Almighty. He is sufficient for you. He doesn’t condone transgression.
“We have to be courageous and push through the storm. We should also continue to enlighten the public that this is not the end. We have the appeal and the supreme courts.
“The government has enough time to serve the people of Kano State. The template is already here. We promised them this. To God is the glory that we have already started executing our programmes. Despite the judgment, the citizens across the 44 local governments are praying for our success. Alhamdulillah! May God see us through.”
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