NNPP petitions EU, US, others over Appeal Court ruling on Kano election

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has petitioned the European Union (EU), the United States, and the rest of the international over the Court of Appeal ruling that sacked Abba Yusuf as governor of Kano State.

The party also petitioned the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the British High Commission, and the Canadian Embassy on the matter.

The appellate court had on November 17 upheld the verdict of the state governorship election petition tribunal which sacked Yusuf as governor of Kano State.

The court also declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Yusuf Gawuna, as the duly elected governor of the state.

The state had since been thrown into crisis following the discovery of the certified true copy of the judgement with conflicting statements on the matter.

However, the court has admitted the mistake in the document and blamed it on a typographical error.

The NNPP leaders staged a peaceful rally at the British High Commission, the European Union, the Canadian Embassy, and the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja.

READ ALSO: Kano APC raises alarm, says NNPP planning mass protest targeted at its members

They decried the attempt to snatch the mandate given to the governor by powerful forces in the state.

The party’s National Auditor, Ladipo Johnson, who presented the petition at the EU secretariat, recalled that Yusuf’s mandate was controversially snatched by power elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019.

He said: “A deliberate hijack of people’s mandate in Kano will no doubt have consequences politically, economically, and socially, especially in light of its humanitarian repercussions.

“From the look of things, there are clandestine moves to truncate the will of the vast majority of the people of Kano State concerning the governor they freely and willingly elected on March 18, 2023, Abba Yusuf.

“We call on President Bola Tinubu, world leaders, former Nigerian Presidents/ Heads of States, heads of international organisations, and heads of local and international security agencies, and all promoters of democracy to counsel the Nigerian judiciary, specifically the Supreme Court, in respect of the Kano State Governorship seat.

“As we head towards this next level of adjudication, which of course is the final, there is palpable tension in Kano. The city’s atmosphere is enveloped in anger, with a sense of shock and agony pervading every discussion on the streets, offices, and homes.”

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