L-R: Abba Yusuf and Gawuna.
Abba Yusuf has been sacked as Kano Governor by the Tribunal.
Newsone reports that the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano, northern Nigeria, has declared Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner of the Kano governorship election.
This online news platform understands that the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in a judgment delivered via Zoom on Wednesday, September 9, 2023, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf.
Yusuf, who was backed by NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and political godfather in the state, was declared the winner of the March 11 governorship poll.
He polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat his close rival, Gawuna, who got 890,705 votes.
Not satisfied with the outcome of the election, Gawuna and his party filed a petition to challenge Yusuf’s victory.
During the proceeding, the tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from the votes recorded for Yusuf on the ground that the ballot papers (165,663) were not stamped or signed.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the tribunal gave the final judgment after canceling some votes recorded by the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, candidate and Kano Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadabey said the margin of votes scored by the NNPP was not enough to give Governor Yusuf victory. The judge said some of the votes credited to Yusus were invalid.