Tension grew high on Thursday, January 11, following the Supreme Court’s schedule to deliver its final judgment on the Kano state governorship election petition appeal on Friday, January 12.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Nasiru Gawuna have been engaged in legal fights since the governorship election in March of last year.
The five men panel justices of the Supreme Court, in a notice of hearing sent to the warring parties on Wednesday, said the verdict on the anticipated appeal will be held on Friday.
The Court of Appeal had affirmed the verdict of the Kano governorship election petition tribunal that sacked Governor Abba Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and declared Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as lawfully elected.
The appellate court not only upheld the tribunal’s verdict but also added that Governor Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when he contested the election.
The three-man panel led by Justice O. Osadebay had sacked Governor Yusuf on the basis of illegal votes of 165,663, which were not signed, stamped, or dated.
Displeased with the concurrent verdicts, Governor Yusuf, the NNPP, and INEC approached the Supreme Court, seeking to dismiss the earlier judgments and reaffirm Yusuf as the duly elected governor.
Subsequently, APC equally filed a cross-appeal challenging the judgment of the Abuja Court of Appeal for failing to disqualify Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, from contesting the March 18 election over an alleged certificate forgery.
Governor Yusuf is, by his appeal, seeking to upturn the November 17 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the September 20 decision of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal voiding his victory in the March 18 poll.
Meanwhile, APC stakeholders, including Seyi Olorunsola, have been jubilating and distributing souvenirs, including customised T-shirts and caps, to supporters in anticipation of the party’s victory at the Supreme Court in the state’s governorship election.
The NNPP described the act as blackmailing the Supreme Court to get a favourable verdict.
The NNPP acting National Chairman, Abba Kawu Ali, said in a statement that “the blackmail by the APC is harassment of the judiciary, and attempts to heat up the polity will not work.” But APC supporters countered that the broom party has every likelihood of emerging victorious, given its series of victories at the tribunal and Court of Appeal.
Amidst the growing tensions, a former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has urged the NNPP and APC to accept the poll outcome at the Supreme Court on Friday.
Shekarau gave the advice to the parties while fielding questions from Channels TV on Politics Today a few days ago.
The former governor, who claimed he believes in the justice system, stated that no amount of abuse, hostility, or hate speech can give or take away power.
Shekarau said, “Anybody who has been following my own characteristics in politics knows that it is politics of peace and without bitterness. I see my political friends as friends and associates, regardless of their political leaning.
“When it is the time to contest we go into the field and once the elections are held and the winner is declared my attitude is that if you have any clear evidence of malpractice you can go civilized. And once the court pronounces its stand and you pursue it up to the last stage, once this is done the game is over; and we prepare for the next round of elections.
“There is one popular saying that ‘Whoever is not prepared to lose is not a civilized candidate.’ No amount of certainty will give you a 100 percent assurance. Once the voters decide, that is all. But it does not mean you will take any rubbish. If you have reasons you can go to court. We have been preaching this in Kano.
“Now they are in court over the Kano governorship election; we keep our fingers crossed. I am advising both parties NNPP and the APC that once the Supreme Court decides, accept it let there be peace. And I am appealing to them that abuses, hatred and hate speeches will not give you or deny you power.”