The Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano has fixed Wednesday 20th, September 2023 to deliver judgement in the petition filed by APC, challenging the victory of Abba Kabir Yusuf of NNPP.
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Justice Watch News that APC dissatisfying with the INEC declaration of the poll, APC approached the Tribunal through its lead counsel, Offiong Offiong SAN, seeking the Tribunal to declare that Abba Yusuf was not qualified to contest the election, alleging that his name was not being in the list of members of NNPP sent to INEC 30 days before primary election of the NNPP.
The Petitioner further alleged that, NNPP did not win the election with the majority of lawful votes cast, alleging that some of the votes cast for them were invalid and if removed from their scores APC will have the highest number of votes.
The APC asserted that the Resident Electoral Officer, REC, was wrong in declaring Abba Yusuf as the winner because according to the Party, the margin of lead is not higher than the votes cancelled and so he should have declared the election inconclusive.
APC is also praying the Tribunal to declare all the total votes cast for NNPP as waste and consquently Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna winner of the election.
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The Petitioner is similarly seeking the Tribunal to declare that NNPP has no candidate as Abba Yusuf is not in their register of voters submitted to INEC at the time of the election.
In his response to the petition, Abba Kabir Yusuf and his party, NNPP, through its lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN described the petition of APC as waste of time stressing that the issue of candidate membership is purely a party affairs, urging the Tribunal to so hold and dismiss all the reliefs sought by the petitioner.
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He denied all the claims raised by the petitioner.
He said Respondents doesn’t need to call many witnesses since, according to him the witnesses have failed to establish the allegation.
The petitioner called 32 witnesses which include 30 polling agents, subpoenaed and start witness, Aminu Harbau and Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, who testified in favour of APC.
On their parts, the 3 respondents, namely: INEC, Abba Kabir Yusuf and NNPP called only 1 witness, Secretary to the Kano State Government, SSG, Dr. Baffa Bichi.
Justice Watch News observed that the residents of Kano shortly after the date was fixed for the judgement, residents of the the Kano speak up, waiting anxiously for 20th September, 2023.
