NNPP to Appeal Against Tribunal on Kano State’s Election

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) says it will appeal against Wednesday’s judgment by the Kano State Election  Petition Tribunal that upturned the election of its Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf.
Acting Deputy National Chairman of the party, Prince Nwaeze Onu told a news conference on Thursday in Abuja that the judgment that sacked Kabir-Yusuf as governor was “most unfair’’ .
He said that the judgment was capable of eroding confidence in the judiciary.
The tribunal declared on Wednesday that Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the March 18 governorship election in Kano State.
It directed INEC to give the Certificate of Return in the election to Gawuna in place of NNPP’s Kabir-Yusuf.
“The judgment nullified the free, credible and globally acclaimed fair election of our governorship candidate.
“The tribunal arrived at this unjust judgment by unfairly subtracting 165,663 votes from Kabir-Yusuf’s tally in order to enable it to unfairly award the election result to the candidate of the APC.
“In doing so, the tribunal obviously affirms its belief that the vote tally of the APC candidate was sacrosanct.
“The Supreme Court in many cases has stated its position on this matter in earlier judgments,’’ Onu said.
He said it would be a hard nut to crack for the tribunal to convince non-partisan Nigerians that the NNPP won all other elections in Kano State, but that of the governorship race.
“For emphasis, NNPP’s presidential candidate, Sen. Musa Kwankwaso, defeated the candidate of the APC, Sen. Bola Tinubu in Kano State with a wide margin.
“In the same vein, NNPP won two senatorial seats as against APC’s one seat. NNPP won 18 House of Representatives seats as against APC’s four.
“At the House of Assembly elections, NNPP won a clear majority of seats as against APC’s meagre number of seats.
“And yet the tribunal believes it was over-voting that gave NNPP majority votes in the governorship election,’’ he observed.
Onu expressed the belief that the NNPP would get back its mandate freely given by the people Kano State within the ambit of the law and the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
“We call on the Judiciary to do the needful. We look forward to a more impartial judgment in the next round of litigation,’’ he stressed.
Onu also called on NNPP supporters in Kano State and in Nigeria as a whole to remain calm, be law-abiding, and maintain the peace.
He stressed that “the glaringly lopsided judgment cannot stand the test of natural justice and fair play’’.
He described the declared 24-hour curfew on Kano State as an attempt to deprive the people of their God-given freedom of expression, freedom of movement and their livelihoods.

NAN/ Lateefah Ibrahim