Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State appealed to the Supreme Court following his dismissal by the Court of Appeal last week. This appeal, filed on Wednesday, names the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission as respondents on behalf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
The filed documents sought three reliefs from the Supreme Court and outlined ten grounds of appeal against the appellate court’s November 17, 2023 judgment. These include a request for an order to reverse the Court of Appeal’s decision, uphold the part of the judgment that annulled the trial tribunal’s decision in petition No: EPT/RV/GOV/11/2023, and grant any further orders that the Supreme Court deems suitable in the context of the appeal.
The Court of Appeal’s ruling last week invalidated Yusuf’s election by asserting that his absence from his party’s register, as maintained by INEC, violated Section 177 (c) of the 1999 Constitution. This section mandates that a gubernatorial candidate must be a party member.
Contrary to the Election Petition Tribunal’s stance, which declared its inability to determine party membership, the Appeal Court overturned this decision, removing the governor and declaring Nasiru Gawuna of the APC as the legitimate governor-elect.