INEC dismisses reports on withdrawal from Kano governorship election appeal

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday (INEC) on Saturday dismissed claims on its withdrawal from the appeal on the Kano State governorship election petitions tribunal’s verdict.

The panel on September 20 nullified Governor Kabir Yusuf’s victory in the March 18 election in the state.

In a judgement delivered via Zoom, the tribunal declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the election and ordered INEC to issue him a new certificate of return.

Governor Yusuf had since filed an appeal on the judgement.

The commission made the clarification in a statement issued by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun.

INEC was reacting to reports by a section of the media on its withdrawal from the process.

READ ALSO: Kano govt vows to petition tribunal judge over comments during ruling

The statement read: “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports based on a letter written by the Legal Officer of our Kano State office indicating that the Commission had withdrawn from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case.

“We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorised. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.

“The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal.

“We wish to state categorically that where litigants join INEC in a case, the Commission is under obligation to respond accordingly. We have therefore instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with the extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.”

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