Congratulations to people of Kano, says Farouq Kperogi

United States of America-based professor, Farouq Kperogi, has congratulated the people of Kano State in reaction to Supreme Court judgment, which certified Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf as duly elected Governor in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.

Kperogi had warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Abdullahi Ganduje following the post-Court of Appeal judgment, described by the governor as miscarriage of justice, not to play with fire over Kano election matter believed to be under manipulation of court by powers in Abuja.

The Supreme Court decided to right the wrong, not only of Kano but also of other states, on Friday January 12, 2024 as it finally set aside both the tribunal’s judgment via zoom and that of the appeal court and affirmed the election of Governor Yusuf.

Reacting, Kperogi said, “Congratulations to the good people of Kano on the Supreme Court’s ruling today affirming the victory of NNPP’s Abba Yusuf.

“In my November 18 column titled “Tinubu and Ganduje Shouldn’t Play with Fire in Kano,” I pointed out that both the election tribunal and the appeal court did not even pretend to be fair in their judgments against NNPP and that “If the Supreme Court is guided by its precedents, which is never guaranteed, I have no doubt that it will invalidate the judgments of the lower courts.”

“I am glad that my prediction has materialized—or that my warning has been heeded.

“This is a victory not just for justice but for peace in Kano. Had the broad-day light theft of NNPP’s legitimate electoral mandate been given the imprimatur of the Supreme Court, security forces would probably be working hard right now to contain communal convulsions in Kano.

“Kano is my second home. It’s where I earned my most important academic qualification that is the basis for what I am today. So, I have as much emotional investment in its peace and stability as its natives.

“My advice to NNPP, Gov. Abba Yusuf, and Rabiu Kwanwaso is to learn to be magnanimous in victory and shun vengeance. You win more hearts through large-heartedness than through revenge and righteous bitterness,” he said.