2023 General Polls: Kano Governor-elect Not Qualified To Contest Election, APC Tells Tribunal

• The 2023 governorship election tribunal for Kano state has been asked to sack Abba Kabir Yusuf as the governor of Kano state
• The call for Yusuf's immediate sack was made by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the state
• According to the ruling party, Yusuf's election as the Kano state governorship candidate of the NNPP is null and void and should be declared as such by the tribunal

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state on Wednesday, April 12, asked the state election petition tribunal to nullify the election of Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor-elect of the state on the ground of non-qualification to contest the election.

The party in its petition said that Yusuf, elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was not a member of the party at the time the 2023 general election was conducted.

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Also submitting that a political party can only sponsor a person who is its member for the elective office of governor of Kano, the ruling party said that a person who is not a member of the political party that claims to sponsor him for election is not qualified to contest election to the office of governor.

According to the APC, Yusuf was not duly nominated by NNPP before being presented as its candidate for the 2023 election.

The APC also prayed the tribunal to set aside his election as governor-elect of the state and declare its candidate, Nasiru Gawuna as the winner of the 2023 governorship polls in Kano state.

In its submission, the APC said that its candidate Gawuna scored the highest number of votes.

APC's petition reads in part:

"In Part A of the INEC Form EC 9 - Affidavit of Personal Particular of the 2nd Respondent submitted to the 1st Respondent reflects that the membership number of the 2nd Respondent is NNPP/HQ/KN/GWL/DS/001. No such number is contained in the 3rd Respondent’s (NNPP) register of members. The plan of the 2nd Respondent (Yusuf) to provide a conscripted membership card is a failed attempt to claim membership of the 3rd Respondent in order to mislead the 1st Respondent (INEC) that the 2nd Respondent possessed the constitutional qualification to contest the election into the office of the Governor of Kano State, while indeed he was not qualified to contest the election, being not a member of the political party that sponsored his election.

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"Your Petitioner says that the Affidavit of personal Particulars wherein the 2nd Respondent claims a membership of the 3rd Respondent as Member No. NNPP/HQ/KN/GWL/DISO/001 is a false certificate because no such membership number or name exists in the Register of the 3rd Respondent."

The party said the 3rd Respondent could not have validly sponsored the second Respondent, who, not being a registered member or a person whose name is on the register of members of the third Respondent, submitted to the first Respondent before the primary election of the 3rd Respondent in compliance with the relevant provision of the Electoral Act, 2022.

It added:

"The Petitioner avers that the 2nd Respondent, not being a registered member of the 3rd Respondent, could not validly have been sponsored by the 3rd Respondent as its candidate for Kano State Governorship Elections held on March 18, 2023. The membership Number stated in Part A of the said INEC EC 9 are not those of the 2nd Respondent nor does he have any at any point material in time to the fact of this Petition.

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"The Petitioner contends that all the votes 1,019,602 votes recorded for the 2nd and 3rd Respondents on Saturday 18th March 2023 in respect thereof are null, void and wasted votes; as the 2nd Respondent is/was not qualified to contest the said election in the first place.

"That the Petitioner’s candidate is, therefore, entitled to be declared the winner of the election, being the candidate with the highest number of lawful votes cast, 890,705 votes in the Kano State Governorship Election as shown in the table below and who has satisfied the constitutional requirements.

"The second Respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election."

Reps member-elect highlights how NNPP taught APC, Governor Ganduje of Kano state political lesson

Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) taught the Kano state governor a political lesson, Abdulmumin Jibrin has said.

The lawmaker-elect said the members of the APC who joined the New Nigeria Peoples Party ensured that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje did not breathe within the ruling party.

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Abdulmumin Jibrin said at the end of the day Ganduje caused the APC 18 House of Representatives members.

APC stakeholders raise alarm over plot by opposition parties to take over Kano, Northwest

Some stakeholders in the APC have alerted the party over attempts by the opposition to undermine them.

The stakeholders specifically accused the New Nigeria People's Party of working against the emergence of a Senate President from the northwest.

They also declared their support for the ambition of Senator Jibrin Barau to be the next Senate President.

Source: Legit.ng