(L - R) Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, incumbent Governor, Abba Kabiru Yusuf
Supreme Court Reserves Decision in Kano Guber Legal Tussle
Zainab Tanimu
Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria
Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja reserved decision in the Kano State Governorship legal tussle.
Supreme Court Reserves decision in suit filed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP seeking to affirm Abba Yusuf as governor of Kano state.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court headed by John Okoro at the hearing of the substantive appeal after hours of arguments from lawyers of both parties adjourned the suit for judgement.
Counsels involved in the matter met to agree on which of the nine appeals and cross-appeals should be heard, with the outcome binding on the remaining eight.
Consensus reached by the counsels was to make the main appeal with suit number SC/CV/1179 to be heard together with the cross-appeals that were questioning the membership of Abba Yusuf and all parties will abide with the outcome.
A date for the judgement is to be communicated to the counsels to the parties for the verdict.
The Court of Appeal earlier in Abuja had sacked Abba Yusuf as governor of Kano State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Nasiru Gawuna had challenged the credibility of election result.
The tribunal in Kano had declared Gawuna of the APC the winner of the election on the ground of said invalid votes cast in favour of Yusuf.
Yusuf, the incumbent governor, who had won the governorship election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has engaged in a fierce legal battle with Nasiru Gawuna of the ruling party, APC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Yusuf as the winner of the 18 March election with 1,019,602 votes against Mr Gawuna’s 890,705 votes.
Our Correspondent in Kano had earlier before the supreme court’s decision, reported that the political atmosphere had been tensed in Kano.
Meanwhile, political pundits and party loyalists are keeping their fingers crossed for the D – Day when the verdict will be pronounced.
