Abba Yusuf reacts as Supreme Court declares him winner

 

KANO, Nigeria – Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State expressed immense joy following the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate him as governor. In an interview on Friday after the verdict, Governor Yusuf conveyed his happiness, stating, “I feel extremely happy, as you can see, so many people are happy and cheering. So, I feel happy.”

He went on to elaborate on his satisfaction with the Supreme Court judgment, which upheld the legitimacy of the election. Governor Yusuf emphasized that there was no illegality in the election process, addressing concerns about alleged illegal ballot papers. He highlighted that the Supreme Court justices confirmed the legality of the ballot papers, which had been issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Governor Yusuf expressed a sense of justification and relief, stating, “I feel justified, I feel that, that issue has been set aside because there was no justification whatsoever.” He extended gratitude to the people of Kano State and beyond, thanking them for their support and prayers during the challenging period.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturned the Appeal Court judgment of November 17, 2023, which had caused confusion in Kano State. Justice John Okoro, delivering the lead judgment, criticized the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the election tribunal’s decision to cancel and deduct votes based on the absence of stamps, dates, and signatures on ballot papers. Justice Okoro clarified that the tribunal misapplied the Electoral Act and stressed that not all ballot papers without INEC markings are automatically invalid.

Furthermore, Justice Okoro challenged the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Governor Yusuf’s qualification, asserting that internal party matters, including nomination and sponsorship, are not subject to external contestation. He clarified that once the nomination follows legal procedures, it is not justiciable, and issues of party membership do not affect the constitutional qualifications for contesting elections.

Abba Yusuf expressed his gratitude to the people, rejoicing in the Supreme Court’s decision that affirmed the legality of his election and dismissed the previous controversies surrounding the process.

Yusuf expressed his relief as the Supreme Court upheld his victory, overturning the Appeal Court’s decision on November 17, 2023, which had thrown Kano State and its government into a state of confusion.

In the primary judgment, Justice John Okoro emphasized that the Court of Appeal erred in affirming the election tribunal’s decision to invalidate and deduct 165,616 votes from NNPP’s total count.

The tribunal had cited unstamped, undated, and unsigned ballot papers as the basis for its decision, relying on Section 71 of the Electoral Act 2023. However, Justice Okoro clarified that this section pertained to result forms, not ballot papers. He pointed out that Section 63 of the same Electoral Act did not render all ballot papers without the INEC mark completely invalid.

Justice Okoro criticized the tribunal for declaring the ballot papers invalid without proof from the petitioners, APC and its candidate Nasiru Gawuna, that the ballots were not supplied by INEC. He argued that the tribunal wrongly attributed the absence of signatures, stamps, and dates to the appellant’s inducement of presiding officers.

The judge also took issue with the Court of Appeal’s assertion that Yusuf was ineligible to contest the election due to non-membership in the NNPP at the time. Justice Okoro clarified that matters of nomination and sponsorship were internal party affairs, not subject to contestation by external parties or individuals lacking party membership.

Furthermore, he emphasized that once nomination aligns with the law, it is not subject to legal scrutiny, as long as the candidate participated in all the required processes. Disputing the Court of Appeal’s reliance on Section 177(c) of the Constitution, Justice Okoro clarified that this section solely pertains to independent candidates and does not address party membership issues.

He asserted that the law does not concern itself with the intricacies of party membership in this context.