By John Alechenu, Abuja 

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has rejected the Appeal Court Judgement sacking Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir, describing it as a miscarriage of justice. 

Ag. National Chairman of the party, Abba Kawu Ali announced the party’s position in Abuja, on Saturday. 

He said the party was shocked and disappointed by the judgement which he said ignored documentary evidence and the popular will of the majority of voters in Kano State. 

Ali accused the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of attempted power grab. 

He 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 the APC candidate was around 130,000 votes.

“You may also recall that the candidate of the APC conceded defeat and congratulated Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf immediately. Surprisingly, after the issuance of the Certificate of Return by INEC, the APC filed a bogus petition before the election tribunal which its own candidate refused to join.

“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.

He further said, “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 of 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 Candidates 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.

“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.”

The party chairman prayed that the Judiciary would live up to its calling as the temple of justice and the last hope of the common man by looking at the facts and  restoring public confidence in the judiciary.