Justice Inyang Okoro-led five-member panel of justices of the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved judgment in the appeal over the Kano State governorship election after listening to lawyers in the matter.
The Informant247 reports that the Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf Kabir and the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) had filed the appeal challenging the November 17 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which nullified their victory in the March 19 governorship election, while also notifying the apex court of the contradictions in the CTC of the judgment which upheld the governor’s election and awarded him the sum of N1 million in damages.
It would be recalled that a three-member panel of justices led by Justice Moore A. Adumein upheld the appeal of Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The panel held that Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was not a registered party member and, therefore, not qualified to contest the election.
However, in the long argument before the apex court on Thursday, parties raised issues concerning the court’s jurisdiction in the political party membership of a candidate.
The lawyers also argued over whether the court could “visit the sin” of INEC’s failure to sign over 160,000 ballot papers on the voters in Kano State.
