In Kano State, a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Court of Appeal judgment on the state’s gubernatorial election has surfaced, leading to widespread confusion.
This latest development was contrary to the earlier reported verdict last Friday, where it seemed that the appellate court upheld the decision to remove Governor Abba Yusuf.
But the state’s Attorney-General, Haruna Isa-Dederi, has provided a CTC of the judgment that contradicts the appellate court’s verdict.
According to Isa-Dederi, the CTC of the judgment indicated that Yusuf’s victory in the poll was upheld by the appeal court.
Addressing the press on Tuesday night, Isa-Dederi pointed out that the written judgment, particularly on page 67, affirmed Abba Kabiru Yusuf’s victory as the duly elected Governor of Kano under the New Nigeria Peoples Party, The Punch reports.
“The evidence contained on page 67 of the copy of the Appeal Court judgment released on Tuesday and signed by Registrar, Jameel Ibrahim Umar, the appellate court upheld the victory of Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party as duly elected Governor of Kano,” he said.
The confusion stemmed from the court’s earlier dismissal of the governor’s appeal on November 17 due to membership status, affirming Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the March 25, 2023, governorship election.
Isa-Dederi emphasized that page 67 of the certified judgment explicitly indicated the reversal of the tribunal’s decision that removed the governor, contradicting what was initially conveyed publicly by the justices.
Upon reviewing the CTC, discrepancies were evident in Justice Moore Adumein’s conclusions.
Although indicating a resolution of issues in favor of both sides, the judgment seemed contradictory.
It upheld Yusuf’s appeal to overturn the tribunal’s decision while simultaneously finding no merit and dismissing the appeal, thus upholding the tribunal’s decision.
The judgment’s confusion was compounded by the final declaration setting aside the tribunal’s decision to sack the governor while awarding costs in favor of the governor against the first respondent, the APC.
Both Justice Bitrus Sanga and Justice Lateef Ganiyu aligned with the lead judgment, exacerbating the complexity of the situation.
