The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has taken steps to challenge the Kano Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal’s decision that nullified Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s victory, petitioning the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS), the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Amid claims of clerical errors altering the Court of Appeal’s ruling, the NNPP, represented by Acting Chairman Abba Kawu Ali, led a demonstration of Yusuf’s supporters to various embassies in Abuja, seeking international intervention.
Ali emphasized the need for the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, to uphold its duties, highlighting the alleged discrepancy between the election outcome and subsequent legal decisions.
He said: “From the look of things, there are clandestine moves to truncate the will of the vast majority of the people of Kano State with respect to the Governor they freely and willingly elected on March 18, 2023, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf.
“You would recall that during the 2019 general elections, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusif contested and won the Governorship election on the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP), which our group joined just a few months to the elections.
“However, the mandate was snatched away by the powers that be under very controversial circumstances, and this day-light robbery was given a seal of authority by the judiciary.”
Expressing concern over potential manipulation of the democratic process, Ali detailed the NNPP’s triumph in the 2023 elections under the party’s banner, securing the Kano State Governorship, two Senatorial seats, 19 Federal House of Representatives seats, and 30 State Assembly seats.
In a plea to Vice President Kashim Shettima and several Northern governing bodies, Ali urged immediate intervention to prevent escalating tensions in Kano State.
Responding to the petition, ECOWAS Head of Administration William Towah assured us that the organization would examine the matter closely.
The NNPP’s move signifies a pushback against perceived electoral irregularities and legal rulings that nullified their electoral gains, seeking international attention and potential intervention to address the situation in Kano State.
At ECOWAS, Abuja. Kano sai Abba. pic.twitter.com/ve9VCs2mv5
— Gimbiya Nana Jibrin (Naj) (@JibrinNana) November 29, 2023