A significant assembly of Kano State residents, presumed to be supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), took to the streets on Friday to voice their discontent over the verdict delivered by the election petition tribunal, which led to the removal of Governor Yusuf Abba….
Recall that Governor Abba was unseated by the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, invalidated the Certificate of Return that had been previously presented to Yusuf Abba by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In its place, the tribunal declared Nasir Gawuna, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
Initially, INEC had announced NNPP’s victory with 1,019,602 votes, surpassing the APC’s 890,705 votes. However, the tribunal deemed the NNPP’s vote margin as non-compliant with the 2022 electoral act and invalidated 165,663 votes from the NNPP. The tribunal cited issues with the stamping and signing of these ballot papers as the reason for their invalidation.
In response to the tribunal’s ruling, the state government imposed a 24-hour curfew on Wednesday. On Friday, it was reported that supporters of the NNPP took to the streets in protest against the tribunal’s judgment, alleging that it was unjust.
Displaying placards bearing various inscriptions such as “Gandollar, leave the judiciary alone,” “The people of Kano demand justice,” and “It’s Abba that we want,” the demonstrators called for a reevaluation of the tribunal’s decision, emphasizing their refusal to tolerate any form of injustice. They asserted their unwavering support for Abba and their determination to defend their electoral choice