“How can a typographical error affect whole paragraphs?” Kano rejects Appeal Court’s clarification of alleged judgment scandal

*Says typo error claim on CTC ‘scandalous

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Kano State, Alhaji Haruna Dederi, has told the Court of Appeal that its claim of “typo error” on the Certified True Copy (CTC) of its judgment on the state’s governorship election is scandalous.

Recall that the appellate court had sacked Yusuf and declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Gawuna as the winner of the March election.

But a copy of the CTC of the judgment emerged on Tuesday, affirming Yusuf as winner of the governorship election.

The CTC also set aside the tribunal’s judgment of September 20 sacking the governor, while clearly stating an award of N1 million fine in favour of Governor against the APC.

The Court later clarified that it was a typographical error.

However, speaking from the Nigeria’s second economic nerve centre, the state Attorney General, Haruna Dederi, who appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Thursday morning, argued that such a development is “scandalous”.

“What is a typographical error? Does it affect one word? Does it affect two words? Does it affect three words? How can a typographical error affect whole paragraphs?

“This is something that cannot be accepted by any discernible mind as I have said.

“This is something that is outrageously scandalous and it cannot be accepted. We are not satisfied.”

The Commissioner who said the controversy surrounding the judgment “has now been shifted to the Supreme Court,” believes “it would be resolved there”.

Despite the Appeal Court’s clarification, he maintained that the trending copy of the CTC is “the only version we have as the judgment of the Court of Appeal.”

“There is no corrected version,” he argued on the breakfast show, insisting that the claims of typo error about the CTC “is not tenable. It cannot be accepted”.

Meanwhile, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have already headed to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict and are hopeful of getting justice.

The party challenged “the entire judgment of the Court of Appeal save and except the conclusion and orders at page 67 of the duly Certified True Copy, CTC including the order as to cost favorable to the appellant”.

The court judgment has already heightened tensions in Kano state.

There were protests along the Dan Agundi area of the state on Wednesday. Some of the protesters said they were ready to die as they demanded justice.