The Supreme Court has overturned the Abuja Court of Appeal’s decision to nullify Kano State Governor Kabir Yusuf’s election.
A five-member panel of justices unanimously ruled on Friday that the Court of Appeal misinterpreted the significance of the alleged reduction of 165,616 ballot papers in favor of Yusuf.
Justice Inyang Okoro’s lead ruling further stated that the issue of the Kano governor’s membership was a pre-election matter.
He stated that the determination that Yusuf was not sponsored by the NNPP under Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 134(1) of the Electoral Act was not a finding of the electoral tribunal but rather a simple observation that his name was not on the membership list.
“This court has consistently maintained that the issue of the nomination or sponsorship of a candidate for an election is completely an exclusive prerogative of the political party,” he held.
Details later…
