*Says claim that Yusuf not party member ridiculous
*APC candidate went to court after conceding defeat and congratulating Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf – NNPP
By KEMI KASUMU
“To claim that His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP at the time of the 2023 general election, is to say the least, the worst of mischief anybody can come up with. For the avoidance doubt, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was, and is still a card carrying bonafide member of the NNPP. “
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)’s expression of shock that Court of Appeal had to proceed to deliver “miscarriage of justice” in the governorship election dispute in Kano State on Friday November 17, 2023 has further stalemated the verdict of the appellate court.
Recall that Govetnor of Kano Staye and candidate of the party in the March 18 election had later Friday anticipated that the appeal court would look at the overwhelming evidences before it and set aside the September 20 ruling of the state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sacking him.
He, however, wondered that, despite those evidences, the court went ahead and favoured the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s desperate move to snatch power through the back door and return the state to the dark era, thus upholding what he called the remote judgment of the tribunal in purportedly sacking him on the “flimsy excuse” of him not being a member of NNPC.
The governor said the court had overwhelming evidence before it proving the genuineness of his Membership of the party.
Reacting to the Appeal Court judgment at a press conference, held in Abuja, on Saturday, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) announce its rejection in totality ofbthe judgment it, like the governor, described as “miscarriage of justice”.
“Hence, we are gathered here today to convey our outright rejection of and express our dismay at the ruling of the Court of Appeal in respect of the only elected Governor on the platform of our dear party, the New Nigeria people’s Party NNPP,” the party said.
The NNPP, speaking through the mouth of his Acting National Chairman, Abba Kawu Ali, said, “To say the least, we are shocked at the miscarriage of justice delivered on Friday 17th November, 2023 on the Governorship Election petition of Kano State.
“You would recall that the Candidate of our party, in the March 2023 Governorship election in Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir was overwhelmingly elected by the good people of Kano State with a whopping votes of 1,019,602 to defeat the APC Candidate who came a distant second.
“The margin between Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and APC Candidate was around 130,000 votes.”
APC conceded defeat to NNPP
It said, “You may also recall that the Candidate of the APC conceded defeat and congratulated Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf immediately. Surprisingly, after the issuance of Certificate of Return by INEC, the APC filed a bogus petition before the election tribunal which its own Candidate refused to join.
Tribunal’s ridiculous judgment
“In spite of overwhelming evidence presented to the tribunal by our team of lawyers, the tribunal passed one of the most ridiculous judgments in the history of election jurisprudence in Nigeria and unjustly declared the APC Candidate, who never joined the petition as the winner of the election.
“Believing in the credibility of the judiciary and its ability to correct any error of judgment by the lower court, our party approached the Court of Appeal and prayed the appellate court to set aside the unjust ruling of the Lower Court.
“To our greatest shock and consternation, the Court of Appeal on Friday 17th November, 2023 delivered a convoluted judgment that was anchored around their erroneous belief that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP.
Party membership
“To claim that His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP at the time of the 2023 general election, is to say the least, the worst of mischief anybody can come up with. For the avoidance doubt, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was, and is still a card carrying bonafide member of the NNPP.
“Any claim to the contrary is only in the figment of the imagination of the mischief –makers. How could he have contested the election when the INEC portal for the submission of Candidates Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms could not have accepted any form that was not uploaded together with the copy of the NNPP Membership Card of the nominee.
“For our party, and we are sure for INEC as well, the issue of Membership of Candidate is a non-issue since the system of nomination is designed by INEC in such a way that only registered members can be nominated and uploaded onto the portal.
“It is therefore unbelievable that the Appeal Court would refuse to look at the merit of our party’s appeal and cling to the erroneous issue of membership that has already been settled severally by both the Appeal and Supreme Courts.”
Ali said, “We are therefore informing all members of the NNPP and indeed all Nigerians that our party has already briefed our lawyers to appeal this injustice at the Supreme Court.
“While we believe that the Supreme Court will correct the errors of the tribunal and the Appeal Court and restore the mandate of the good people of Kano State by re-affirming Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf as the duly elected Governor of Kano State, we are not unmindful of the political desperation of the APC leaders in Kano State, who were roundly rejected at the polls and who are now scampering to hijack power at all cost through the chambers of the Court as they did in 2019.
“We are therefore calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the Kano situation as it is increasingly becoming the test case for the survival of democracy in Nigeria and the credibility of the judicial system.
“The ruling party must not be allowed to be using the chambers of the Courts to annihilate and incinerate opposition parties. Our party has won 2 Senate positions in Kano State, 19 House of Representatives positions in Kano (18) and Jigawa States (1) and 30 States House of Assembly positions in Kano(26) Bauchi (2) Taraba(1), and Nasarawa (1) as well as Governorship position in Kano State.
“We pray that the Judiciary would live up to its calling as the temple of justice and the last hope of the common man. So far members of the NNPP Nationwide and the people of Kano State are yet to get justice from the Judiciary. We have not lost hope and will not lose hope.
“We are therefore calling on the ruling party to save democracy in Nigeria by halting their clandestine moves to annihilate all other political parties and drag the country into a one party system.
“We are calling on the international community to support our country to deepen multi-party democracy and stop the APC from turning the country into a one –party state.
“Long live NNPP! Long live democracy in Nigeria!! Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Abba Kawu Ali, Acting National Chairman NNPP said.
