The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, repealed the election of Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf. The appeal court, in a congruent decision by a three-member panel of justice, held that Governor Yusuf was not a valid candidate in the gubernatorial election held in the state on the 18th of March, 2023, as the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) breached the constitution by sponsoring Yusuf who was not a member of the party.
The tribunal, presided over by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, had on September 20, 2023, declared Yusuf’s victory invalid due to the invalidation of 165,663 votes.
The tribunal had determined that the votes, which belonged to Yusuf of the NNPP, were not signed or stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
As a result, the governor’s votes were reduced to 853,939, while rival, Nasir Ganuwa, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), maintained his tally at 890,705.
Governor Yusuf, who opposed the tribunal’s decision, described it as “unfair” and “a miscarriage of justice.”
The legal battle moved to the Court of Appeal, where Wole Olanipekun, SAN, lead counsel for Yusuf, sought to set aside the tribunal’s judgment.
Olanipekun argued against the tribunal’s decision to revoke the election over the non-signing of the back of ballot papers, stating that it was unusual and unheard of in electoral history.
However, Akin Olujimi SAN, representing the APC, countered Olanipekun’s arguments, stating that the Appeal Court clearly deemed the non-signing of ballots as electoral malpractice.
 breached the constitution by sponsoring Yusuf who was not a member of the party.){kind=link}