The Crest

Tag: Kano State

  • Mega Dollar Bribery: Ganduje to be Charged to Court Wednesday

    Mega Dollar Bribery: Ganduje to be Charged to Court Wednesday

    It could be the beginning of the end, politically, for former Kano State Governor and incumbent National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as he will be arraigned before a Kano State High Court tomorrow, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, for bribery and diversion of funds, among others.

    He will be charged with allegations of bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, including the purported acceptance of $413,000 and N1.38bn in bribes, that he committed while he held sway as the Governor of Kano State.

    According to the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Haruna Dederi, Ganduje would be arraigned alongside his wife and six others.

    The Governor Abba Yusuf administration, which initiated the criminal suit against the eight respondents, had declared its readiness to present 15 witnesses to testify before Justice Usman Na’aba of the State High Court.

    Danduje, had, while serving as Kano State Governor in 2017, been caught on camera receiving bundles of dollar notes as a bribe from a man suspected to be a contractor and stuffing the mint-fresh dollar bills into his flowing agbada.

    Though the video of the bribery mess went viral and generated public opprobrium against Ganduje, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing. But the video has been a subject of serious scrutiny since power changed hands in the state on May 29, 2023.

    The video, which garnered widespread attention in 2017, has been the subject of intense scrutiny with the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and its Governor, Engineer Abba Yusuf, vowing to revisit the case and prosecute Ganduje.

     

  • In Kano, Man, 25, Stabs Friend Dead

    In Kano, Man, 25, Stabs Friend Dead

    The Kano State Police Command, Monday, confirmed the arrest of a 25-year-old man, Abba Garba Ibrahim, who reportedly stabbed to death his 22-year-old friend, one Zaharadeen Iliyasi, during a scuffle triggered by an alleged disagreement.

    A statement by the spokesperson for the command, Mr. Abdullahi Kiyawa , a Superintendent of Police, revealed that Ibrahim allegedly stabbed his friend, Illiyasi, in the neck with a knife, causing his death.

    The incident occurred on Friday, March 29, 2024, at Chiranci Dorayi Quarters in Kano.

    The police spokesman further revealed that upon receiving the tragic information, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Gumel, ordered that all entry and exit points in the state be blocked to prevent the suspect from fleeing.

    “On March 29, 2024, at about 10:30 pm,” the statement reads, “a distress call was received reporting a disagreement between two friends at Chiranci Dorayi Quarters Kano, where one Abba Garba Ibrahim, 25 years old, popularly known as ‘Dan ‘Kuda’ used a knife and stabbed one Zaharaddeen Iliyasu, 22 years old, ‘m’, of same address on his neck.

    “On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Mohammed Gumel, ordered the immediate cordoning off of the entry and exit points of the state to prevent escape and directed the deployment of police operatives, led by the Divisional Police Officer of Panshekara Division, CSP Ya’u Sadiq Abdu, to the scene.

    “On arrival at the scene, Zaharadeen Iliyasu was rushed to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano where a medical doctor on duty certified the body dead, while the suspect, Abba Garba Ibrahim, was arrested while attempting to escape to the Niger Republic.”

    Meanwhile, preliminary investigation by the police, has revealed that Abba Garba Ibrahim was allegedly under the influence of illicit drug when he reportedly committed the dastardly act.

     

  • Kano Guber Tussle: Between Opportunism and Legality, By Dr. Saleh Maina

    Kano Guber Tussle: Between Opportunism and Legality, By Dr. Saleh Maina
    BY DR. SALEH M. MAINA
    On March 18th 2023, Nigerians came out to vote for their preferred candidates in the gubernatorial and state assembly elections in all but a few states of the federation. In Kano State, the gubernatorial election was a straight fight between the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC). The NNPP had Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf as its flagbearer while the APC was represented by Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna. After what was obviously a hot contest, the NNPP defeated the APC hands down, thus leading to the emergence of Engineer  Abba Kabir Yusuf as the popularly elected Executive Governor of Kano State and was duly sworn into office on May 29th 2023. The rest is now history.
    What is important, at least for now , is that though Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, the APC candidate is the elections initially conceded defeat  and went ahead to congratulate His Excellency, Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, for his well-deserved victory, the APC as a political party refused to concede defeat and, instead filed a petition at the Governorship and State Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal challenging the declaration of Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf of the NNPP as the winner of the elections by the Independent National Electrical Commission (INEC).
    The petition field by the APC at the Election Tribunal did not come as a surprise. In Nigeria, conceding defeat in a widely believed freely and fairly conducted elections, is not in the DNA of most politicians. In their desperation to cling to or acquire political power, it is the culture of Nigerian Politicians to cry blue murder where the result of elections did not favour them. Thus, the decision by the APC Kano State leadership to challenge the victory of Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf was akin to behaving true to type.
    The petition field by the APC challenging the declaration of Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf as winner of the Governorship election was anchored on two major grounds. First was the claim that Engineer Yusuf contested the elections without being a registered member of the NNPP.
    This obviously spurious claim was based on the allegation that the Kano State Governor, H.E. Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf‘s name was not in the list of NNPP members submitted to INEC 30days before the conduct of the election. And based on this allegation, the APC is claiming that Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf cannot be considered the NNPP candidate in the election let alone being declared as winner by INEC.
    Secondly, the APC also claimed that the total votes won by the NNPP in the Governorship elections consisted of about 165,000 votes which ballot papers were not signed or stamped by INEC in contravention of Provisions of the Electoral act. And for this reason, the ballot papers in question are not valid, presumably smuggled into the votes declared in favour of H.E, Engineer Rabi’u  Yusuf.
    So far the Kano State Governorship Election Tribunal, after listening to the augments advanced by the NNPP and APC legal teams, ruled in favour of the APC claims, thus went ahead to annual Engineer Kabir Yusuf’s victory and the declaration of Dr. Yusuf Gawuna of the APC as the elected governor based on the subtraction of the 165,000 ballot papers that were allegedly not signed or stamped by INEC.
    Not satisfied with the ruling by the Election Tribunal, the NNPP went to the Appeal court to challenge the Tribunal’s ruling. Surprisingly, the Court of Appeal upheld the Election Tribunal’s ruling in the case by also declaring Dr. Yusuf Gawuna as the duly elected Governor of Kano State.
    The battle is not yet over as H.E Engineer Kabir Yusuf, the Executive Governor of Kano State and his party, the NNPP have gone to the Supreme Court praying for the setting aside the rulings *by the election Tribunal and Appeal Court in the hope that the apex court will uphold of his declaration as winner of the elections by INEC. Thus, for now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court to do the needful towards reconsidering the rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Election Tribunal.
    The over a million people who braved the odds to vote massively for His Excellency, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf as the popularly elected Governor expect the Supreme Court to live up to the revered name of the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man. The apex Court cannot afford a ruling that amounts to robbing Peter-to-pay-Paul, as the rulings by the Election Tribunal and Appeal Court that voided the election of Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf tends to suggest. For the avoidance of any doubt, this is not the first time Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf’s victory in a free and fairly conducted election is being voided. It may be recalled that is the 2019 Governorship election, Engr. Yusuf’s victory was cut short in controversial circumstances leading to the declaration of the election as inconclusive, which was a clever by half mechanism that led to a rerun in some of the Local Government Areas of Kano State. The outcome of the rerun is now history. Suffice is it, however, to state that history shouldn’t be allowed repeat itself.
    Beyond the issues of legality, what appears to be at play is as much related to Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf’s victory as it also affects APC projections for victory in the 2027 Presidential Elections. Going by the results of the 2023 elections in which the NNPP defeated APC in Kano State, the fear of a repeat performance in 2027 seems to be the factor behind the desperation by the APC to seize control of Kano State. What is therefore at play is sheer political opportunism by the APC who appear ready to go to any extent to retain power in 2027.
    While it is in the right of APC chieftains to aspire to remain in power after 2027, respect for the rule of law rather than crude opportunism and impunity should be the name of the game.
    The evil plot by the APC to regain power in Kano through the window after losing it through the door is a barefaced injustice which should not be allowed to stand. Denying victory Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf and the people that voted for him in the gubernatorial election on baseless claims is an unpardonable breach of democratic principles. The people of Kano voted for him in the belief that he and his party will add value to their lives and any attempt to deny the opportunity of enjoying the fruits of their popular choice in unacceptable. The Supreme Court should rise of above being used by the ruling party as tool for imposing themselves on a people that rejected them at the polls. The APC should be held responsible for any crisis that arises out of the day light robbery of the mandate freely given to H.E Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf as the Executive Governor of Kano State.
    It is, therefore, hoped that the Supreme Court will live up to public expectations by dismissing the rulings of the Election Petition Tribunal and Appeal Court by reinstating Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, the duly elected Governor of Kano State
    This is the path of honour for the Justices of the Supreme Court
    • Dr. Saleh Maina wrote from Kaduna.
  • Kano : Gov. Abba Yusuf  Appoints New Head of Civil Service 

    Kano : Gov. Abba Yusuf  Appoints New Head of Civil Service 

    Kano State Governor,  Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has appointed Alhaji Abdullahi Musa , a seasoned civil servant, as the new Head of Civil Service.
    A statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said the appointment takes immediate effect.
    By this appointment, Abdullahi Musa replaces Alhaji Usman Bala, who voluntarily resigned from the position, according to the release.
    Governor Kabir Yusuf had retained Usman Bala as Head of Service when he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
    A seasoned civil servant who served in various government Ministries, departments and agencies in Kano for over three decades, the new Head of Service hails from Kiru Local Government area.
    Abdullahi Musa served as  the Permanent Secretary Kano Government House, Council Affairs Directorate, Administration and General Services of Cabinet Office, Ministry of Special Duties, and Servicom Directorate.
    A graduate of International Relations from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the new Head of Service bagged a Masters degree in Public Policy and Administration from Bayero University, Kano, and another Masters degree in Strategy and Security Administration from the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.
    Governor Abba Kabir urged the new Head of Civil Service to discharge his responsibility within the confines of the civil service rules and regulations.
  • The judicial adultery in Kano, By Lasisi Olagunju 

    The judicial adultery in Kano, By Lasisi Olagunju 

    The falcon no longer hears the falconer. A commercial flight landed in Asaba on Sunday but its cabin crew welcomed  passengers to Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja. A certified true copy of an Appeal Court judgment last week gave victory to both the respondents and the appellants. Nigeria of today is the textbook definition of confusion.
    I seek to describe what the Court of Appeal did with the Kano governorship case as judicial adultery. I also seek to call it an adulteration of justice. I write with the help of my dictionary which has pointed it out to me that ‘adulterate’ and ‘adultery’ come from the same Latin root, adulterare, meaning “to falsify, corrupt.” Rodents of karma peed into the soup pot of the absolute monarchs in our court halls last week. A court that chops knuckles with parties before it is sure to deliver hybrid judgments – a little to the right, a little to the left; a salad of poisonous confusion. Fuji megastar, Kollington Ayinla, sang decades ago about indecorous mating in music-sphere. The product, he says, will have the face of the lead singer; the arms and legs of the child will belong to the drummer; the head will go to the gong man (Oju l’oju Kola/Apa l’apa Social/Ese l’ese Aromire/Ori l’ori Jimoh Agogo/Eti l’eti Marcus…).
    Scholars after scholars have stressed, repeatedly, that the role of a judge in a case is to “transform the uncertainty about the facts into the certainty of the verdict.” A judge that leaves parties before it uncertain and confused after judgement has failed at doing his work. He deserves neither his pay nor a pat nor the usual allowances of reverence. Like the hybrid child in Kollington Ayinla’s ‘Ta ni o jo’ song, the Kano governorship judgement birthed a shapeshifter; a certified true copy that carved the verdict’s trunk in the image of the APC respondents while the gavel head of the bull goes to the NNPP appellants. It is the first hybrid judgment in the history of the world and the court system.
    Every reasonable Nigerian was shocked to know of this case. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja heard and decided an appeal on the governorship of Kano State. It read its judgement in the open court sacking the incumbent governor who was the appellant in the case. Five days later, the party that lost got a certified true copy (CTC) of the judgement but saw that the decision and orders of the court on the document actually gave them the crown of victory. On the face of the CTC of the judgment signed by the chairman of the panel, the court resolved “live issues” in the case in favour of the respondents (APC) and dismissed the Appeal. It then scandalously proceeded to resolve “all issues” in favour of the appellants (NNPP) – the party it had earlier pronounced losers. The court went further on that route of confusion setting aside the judgement of the tribunal that had earlier sacked the governor and which it had earlier affirmed. It went farther further awarding costs against the APC, the party it had earlier pronounced winners: “The sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira only) is hereby awarded as costs in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent,” the CTC read. Was that an error or two parallel judgements of the same case, one grafted onto the other by karma?
    Judges are traditionally like eagles – they are not expected to flock and join the crowd to make silly mistakes. That is perhaps the reason why the Romans said an Eagle does not catch flies. When a court judgement has the type of ‘mistakes’ you find in exam scripts of below-average pupils, know that the Eagle of the nation now flies down to hunt flies. The poet is a prophet. William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) saw this Kano conundrum over 100 years ago. His poet-persona speaks in ‘The Second Coming’ of “a shape with lion body and the head of a man…” That is a monster – the image of a judgement that says both parties have won.
    Cynthia Gray was the director of the Centre for Judicial Ethics of the American Judicature Society. In 2004, she published in the Hofstra Law Review an article on ‘The line between legal error and judicial misconduct: balancing judicial independence and accountability.’ A Nigerian judge reading the piece would be happy to cite it as a proof that misbehaviour in the temple of justice is not copyrighted for Nigeria. There are cases cited there that leaves mouths unclosed – like more than one judge caught deciding cases by lot in the open court. One judge decided a child custody case by flipping a coin; another asked the courtroom to vote on the guilt or otherwise of a man charged with battery: “If you think I ought to find him not guilty, will you stand up?” When that judge was charged with misconduct, his defence was that he called for an audience vote to “involve the public in the judicial process.” Some of those errant judges argued that they were right; some said they did not know it was wrong to be wrong. If a judge has no clue as to which is the way between the bush and the road, we should know that the society is in trouble. As Gray argues “it would be incongruous if the principle: ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’ applies to everyone but those charged with interpreting and applying the law to others.”
    The day the Kano CTC scandal broke, I sat down with my Nigerian-American friend for a sad chat on the Kano fiasco. What is this? The court explained it as a “clerical error” but my friend said: “That’s neither a faux pas nor a slip of judgement. That’s a revelation!” A revelation?! I thought that was deep. W.B. Yeats probably saw this too and also told us how it may end: “Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely, the Second Coming is at hand.” Even non-Christians know the implication of the ‘second coming’. It signposts, first, the coming of the “rough beast” slouching “towards Bethlehem”, then the end of the world.
    A convulsing world denies its terminal illness. It is not true that if you find yourself in a hole you should stop digging. If you dig horizontally you may escape the enemy’s snare at the end of your tunnel. The appeal court appeared to have done exactly that. It doubled down, boring a tunnel of explanations on how its cock turned to a bull within five days. It said the sin it committed was a mere “clerical error.” Could three whole paragraphs carefully written with words correctly spelt be called a ‘clerical error’. The World Law Dictionary defines ‘clerical error’ as “a small mistake (eg a spelling mistake) made by accident in a document.” No one, apart from the judges who sat in that court, knows exactly what happened. We can only guess. The court should just go quietly into the night. It is a very bad, low moment for Nigeria itself.
    Where else can this “clerical error” be found in the history of court judgements? I spent the weekend doing some searches for similar errors in history and around the world. The nearest I could find was the 1941 Bastajian v Brown case decided by the United States Supreme Court. On May 14, 1936, a trial judge made a decision entry in the court records. It was his conclusion on a real estate case. He wrote: “395524. Blanche H. Comstock v. James E. Brown, et al. Cause heretofore tried and submitted, the court now orders judgement for defendants.” Court records showed that “a year expired during which time no findings of fact and conclusions of law were submitted to the court. On about May 11, 1937, findings of fact and conclusions of law and a judgment prepared by C. P. Von Herzen, one of plaintiff’s attorneys, were filed by him with the clerk to be presented to the judge; they were signed by the judge and filed on June 4, 1937.” It turned out that what the judge signed was the direct opposite of his May 1936 decision and entry. The cheated side read what was signed and complained to the judge. They called his attention to what the decision truly was. On September 29, 1937, the judge issued a corrective order agreeing with the complainant/defendants that the said judgment was signed by his court “inadvertently and by mistake, and did not express the intent of this court nor the true judgment rendered herein, and that the signing of the same by said court constituted a clerical mistake.” The judge further held that the plaintiffs’ “presentation of said Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and said Judgment to this Court for signature constituted a fraud and deception practiced upon this Court in misrepresenting and misstating the true decision of the court after the lapse of a long period of time…” The case became a very controversial one that went up to the Supreme Court. On December 19, 1941, the Supreme Court ruled that the judge properly exercised his powers by “vacating the judgement and the finding of fact and conclusions of law upon which the judgement was rested.” Friends and beneficiaries of the Nigerian Appeal Court would read this case and say: “you see, there is no new thing under the sun.” They would refer us to the author of the book of Ecclesiastes: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
    But I think they should wait: A layman like me will easily see that the contentious judgement in the US case was drafted by the counsel of the plaintiffs for the judge to sign. And he signed. Anyone in Nigeria who would seek to benefit from that case should prepare to explain how judges of the second highest court in the land wrote ‘yes’ when they meant to write ‘no’. The Court of Appeal has not disowned the authorship of the judgement; it wrote and signed it. It even, after its delivery, dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s for more than four days before releasing the CTC The court has not told us how the “error” crept into its spick and span work.
    It is so nice that this case has moved up to the Supreme Court. We should all look forward to reading how the apex court will “transform the uncertainty” of the case to the certainty of untainted reasoning. One thing, however, appears true here: The poet is a prophet. Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ derives its title from the poetic prescience of W. B. Yeats. It foretells the horrific “error” that was certified by the Court of Appeal last week. I will be surprised if anyone says things are alright with the Nigerian system. With every passing day, sheets of darkness unfurl. The innocent have long lost their innocence; an epidemic of guilt without shame distresses the land. That is why you would hear the unclad Court of Appeal, while sacking Bauchi State Speaker on Friday accusing INEC of “dancing naked in the market”. Before “the Second Coming”, Yeats says the falcon will no longer hear the falconer. Where succour used to be, what you see is anarchy. The poet foretells all that. As the gyre widens, we feel the silence of philosophers and the ignorant chatter of promoters of vile excuses. The best in Nigeria today “lack all conviction”; the worst is “full of passionate intensity.”
  • NNPP Runs to Supreme Court; Challenges Gov. Kabir Yusuf’s sack

    NNPP Runs to Supreme Court; Challenges Gov. Kabir Yusuf’s sack

    Following the receipt of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the November 17, 2023 judgement of the Court of Appeal, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Wednesday, filed its notice of appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the verdict which upheld the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal that sacked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and declared Dr. Nasiru Gawuna, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the duly elected governor of Kano State.

    A report by Channels Television said the notice of appeal, dated November 22, 2023, was filed by Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, leading seven other senior advocates and 10 other lawyers.

    In the notice of appeal, the NNPP listed 10 grounds for challenging the appeal.

    The party challenged “the entire judgment of the Court of Appeal save and except the conclusion and orders at page 67 of the duly Certified True Copy, CTC including the order as to cost favourable to the appellant.”

    Governor Abba Yusuf, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were listed in the notice of appeal as respondents.

    The TV station recalled that on Friday, November 17, 2023, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the election petition tribunal, which sacked Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and declared the APC candidate, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, winner.

    The three-member panel of the appeal court dismissed the appeal filed by Governor Yusuf based on his membership status in his party.

    Confusion, however, ensued on Tuesday, November 21, when the CTC of the court judgement, which surfaced four days after the judgment had been delivered, showed glaring contradictions in the conclusions.

    In the lead judgement delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the judge held in one of the concluding paragraphs on Page 68, “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1st respondent and against the appellant.”

    The appellant is Governor Yusuf; while the 1st respondent is the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the Independent National Electoral Commission and the NNPP listed as 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.

    The judge went further to hold that “In the circumstances, I resolve all the issues in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.

    “Therefore, I find no merit in this appeal which is liable to be and is hereby dismissed.

    The judgment of the tribunal in Petition No.: EPT/KN/GOV/01/2023 between ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) v. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION & 2 ORS. delivered on the 20th day of September 2023 is hereby set aside.

    “The sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira only) is hereby awarded as costs in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.”

    While the last three conclusions of the judge suggested that the tribunal judgment sacking Governor Yusuf had been set aside and restored his mandate, the first conclusion that resolved the issues in favour of APC suggested that the decision of the tribunal was affirmed.

    In its grounds of appeal challenging portions of the judgment, the NNPP said “the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law and occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice to the prejudice of the Appellant, when it agreed with the trial tribunal, that, the party’s candidate, was not qualified to contest the election because he was not a member of a political party.”

    The NNPP noted that the Court of Appeal reviewed and reversed the tribunals’ judgment which went in favour of the Appellant and 1st Respondent on the issue of party membership, when no ground of appeal or issue was formulated to warrant such a review.

    The NNPP also argued “that the court of appeal erred in law, and came to a perverse decision when their lordships mixed up the issue of party membership register for use at party primaries with qualification to contest the general election.

    The party also submitted “that the justices of the court of appeal misdirected themselves in law by misapprehending the issue in the appeal when they delved into alternative hypothetical scenario…and became a cross-appellant with a grievance against the decision of the tribunal and reversed same on the issue of disqualification thus granting prayer not sought in the appeal.

    “That the learned Justices of the court of appeal erred in law, acted without jurisdiction and breached the Appellant’s right to fair hearing thus coming to a wrong conclusion, on the actual issue submitted for their resolution regarding the trial Tribunal’s assumption of the role of Petitioners by reviewing documents dumped on the court, in the Tribunal Justices chambers, whereof the tribunal arbitrarily discovered, isolated and deducted 165,000 votes from the total votes of 1,019, 602 and recounted the remainder of votes cast for appellant and its candidate Ist Respondent to conclude that the All Progressives Congress’s candidate who scored 890,705 votes at the election had more votes and ought to have been returned as the winner of the Governorship election held in Kano state on 18 March, 2023…

    “That the Court below erred in law when it held that the Appellant’s Candidate was not a member of NNPP (the political party that sponsored him for Governorship election in Kano State), and therefore not qualified to contest the said election…

    “That the Court below erred in law when it held that the Appellant’s candidate should have personally given evidence to establish his Membership of his Party and that such failure to testify is fatal to his case.

    “That the Court below erred In law when it upheld the decision of the Tribunal nullifying the election of the Appellant’s Candidate as elected Governor of Kano State and declaring 1st Respondent’s Candidate as the winner instead.

    “That the Learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law and occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice when they held “that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the Respondent and against the Appellant when the issue of the constitutionality of the judgment of the Election Tribunal delivered in violation of the mandatory provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) was not properly considered.

    “That the Learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they held “if, as rightly found by the Tribunal, that the Appellant Yusuf Abba Kabir was not a member of the Ist Respondent (New Nigeria Peoples Party)” at the time he was purportedly sponsored for the Governorship election held on the 18th day of March 2023, then he was not qualified to contest the election by Section 17 (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 19 (as amended).

    The party is seeking the following reliefs from the Supreme Court:

    “AN ORDER ALLOWING THE APPEAL AND SETTING ASIDE the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on 17th November 2023.

    “AN ORDER upholding the portion of the judgment of the court of appeal setting aside the judgment of the trial Tribunal in Petition No: EPT/RV/GOV/11/2023 and making order as to costs in favour of the Appellant.”

    SUCH FURTHER ORDER(S) as this Honourable Court may deem appropriate in the circumstances of the appeal.

  • Appeal Court Says Contradictions in CTC of Judgment are Clerical Errors

    Appeal Court Says Contradictions in CTC of Judgment are Clerical Errors

    The Court of Appeal moved quickly, Wednesday, to douse tension triggered by the conflicting depositions in the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the majority judgment that upheld the nullification, by the Kano State election petitions tribunal, of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s election as the state chief executive.

    The Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Mohammed Umar Bangari, described the apparent contradictions in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the majority judgment as mere clerical errors.

    Protests had rocked Kano city, Wednesday, following the governor’s sack by the Court of Appeal sitting in Kano. According to reports, matters could have escalated but for the timely intervention of the police who dispersed protesters along the Dan Agundi area of the state.

    The fresh protests followed the Certified True Copy of the judgement that filtered into the news media as well as social media showing pronouncements that were at variance with the verdict delivered openly by the appellate court.

    According to Channels Television, some of the protesters reportedly swore that they were ready to die as they demanded justice.

    On its part, the police authorities in Kano had vowed to clamp down on any form of protest emanating from the sacking of Governor Yusuf who was the gubernatorial candidate of the March 2023 election.

    Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, last March, declared Yusuf as the winner of the poll, the state governorship election petitions tribunal sacked the governor in September. And, last Friday, the Court of Appeal affirmed the tribunal’s decision and dismissed Governor Yusuf’s appeal as lacking in merit.

    It held that Yusuf’s name was not in the NNPP’s register, making him unqualified to contest the election. The court, therefore, declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the poll.

    Since then, the state has been on edge, with the political temperature spiraling to dangerous heights.

    But Bangari told journalists in Abuja, Wednesday, that the contradictions were nothing serious, adding that the counsels as well as the politicians knew the truth but only chose to play to the gallery.

    For effect, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal stated categorically that the observable contradictions on Page 67 of the CTC of the judgment was merely a clerical error that happens from time to time.

    He maintained that the errors did not invalidate the findings and conclusions of the appellate court in any way. In any case, he insisted that the courts have a way of dealing with such problems through the instrumentality of the law.

    “What happened in the judgment is just a mere clerical error,” Bangari declared, “and the attention of the court has been drawn to it; and appropriate steps within the ambit of the law will be taken” to rectify it once parties in the matter filed formal application to that effect.

    To buttress his point, he drew the attention of the journalists  to Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Book which empowers the court to correct any clerical error once detected by the court or any of the parties in the matter.

    In the CTC dated November 21 and signed by one of the court’s registrar, Ibrahim Umar, the majority judgment delivered by Justice Moore Abraham Adumein had read in part on page 67: “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1st respondent and against the appellant.”

    Then, the gaffe: “In the circumstances, I resolve all the issues in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.

    “Thereby I find no merit in this appeal which is liable to be and is hereby dismissed.

    “The judgment of the tribunal in Petition No: EPT/KN/GOV/01/2023 between All Progressives Congress (APC) versus Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and 2 others delivered on September 20, 2023 is hereby set aside.

    “The sum of N1 million is hereby awarded as cost in favour of the appellant and against 1st respondent.”

  • It’s Not Over! -Says Ousted Kano Gov., as he heads to Supreme Court

    It’s Not Over! -Says Ousted Kano Gov., as he heads to Supreme Court

    Kano State Governor, Mr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, have resolved to approach the Supreme Court and appeal against the judgement of Court of Appeal which, Friday, upheld the sack of the governor by the election petitions tribunal.
    Governor Kabir Yusuf revealed this, Friday night,  in a special broadcast made to the people of Kano, during which he described the Appeal Court verdict as “a miscarriage of justice.”
    “I want to inform the good people of Kano and indeed well meaning Nigerians that based on the concensus of our stakeholders,” the governor said, “we have instructed our lawyers to commence the process of appealing this judgement at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. We are optimistic that the Supreme Court will, by the grace of Allahu SWT, set a side these miscarriages of justice by the Tribunal and the Appeal Courts, and reaffirm our mandate given by the good people of Kano State.”
    The Governor used the opportunity to urge the people of the state to continue to go about their legitimate businesses without fear as government has taken all necessary measures have been emplaced to ensure the security of their lives and properties in the state.
    Gov. Kabir Yusuf assured that the temporary set back occasioned by the decisions of the tribunal and appeal court will not deter his administration from its commitment to continue with the laudable projects and programmes targeted at restoring the lost glory of  the state.
    Rather than being discouraged by the “temporary set back”, the Governor promised to roll up his sleeves, work harder to deliver the dividends of democracy to citizens of Kano State, and residents at large.
    He urged the people of the state, and other well-meaning Nigerians to continue to pray “for Allah’s mercy and protection to save the state from the injustice of mischief makers who are desperately scheming to hijack power through the back door and return the state to the dark ages.”

     

  • Kano Guber: Court of Appeal Reserves Judgment in Gov. Abba Yusuf’s case

    Kano Guber: Court of Appeal Reserves Judgment in Gov. Abba Yusuf’s case

    Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State will soon know his fate as the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in the appeal he filed, challenging his ouster by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

    The Crest recalls that the tribunal had, on September 20, 2023, annulled the governor’s election in the March 18, 2023 governorship vote in the state, declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid.

    To reach the verdict, the tribunal had held that the affected ballot papers were neither signed nor stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

    Consequently, the tribunal declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna, winner of the gubernatorial vote.

    But the embattled governor rejected the tribunal’s judgement in its entirety and headed straight to the Court of Appeal. praying it to void the verdict.

     

  • Kano to Join 1,800 Couples in Mass Wedding Friday

    Kano to Join 1,800 Couples in Mass Wedding Friday

    All roads lead to Kano State today, Friday, October 13, 2023, where the State Government has perfected arrangements to sponsor and conduct the biggest mass weddings ever seen in Nigeria.

    In all, a staggering 1,800 couples will be joined in matrimony across the 44 local government areas of the state.

    The sponsor-in-chief and father of the day, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, confirmed this Thursday, after inspecting all arrangements made at the state Hisbah Board’s premises, venue of the grand ceremony, to ascertain the level of progress made so far.

    A release issued by the office of the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mallam Baba Danitye, said that Governor Kabir Yusuf expressed satisfaction with the level of preparation and commended the Hisbah board, as well as the Ministry of Health for discharging their assignments creditably.

    He specifically commended them for involving the less privileged and and persons with disability in the exercise.

    “Despite the significant role played by Hisbah Board in ensuring peace, security, and mitigating the problems facing married couples and societal vices, the board did not receive proper attention from the previous administration in the last 8 years,” the governor said.

    He, however, assure that his “government will ensure that the board receives all the necessary attention it needs.”

    The governor also lamented the decay of infrastructure as well as the surfeit of uncompleted office buildings at the Hisbah state headquarters, a sad symbolism of utter neglect for the past eight years.

    Speaking earlier, the Commander-General of Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, described the government’s efforts on the state-sponsored mass weddings of 1800 couples as timely, adding that the scheme will assist people realise their dreams especially during these hard times, as well as curb the menace of sexual abuse.

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