The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has described the judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered on Friday as mischievous and anchored on the error that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP.
Addressing the press on Saturday, the acting national chairman of the NNPP, Malam Abba Kawu Ali, said the verdict of the court was a shock to the party.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday affirmed the tribunal judgement which declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Gawuna winner of the governorship election held in March 2023.
Ali, however, said that when the tribunal sitting in Kano upturned the election of Yusuf a couple of weeks ago, the party still believed in the credibility of the judiciary and hoped it would correct any error by the tribunal.
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He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was, and is still a card carrying bonafide member of the NNPP. Any claim to the contrary is only in the figment of the imagination of the mischief makers. How could he have contested the election when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of candidates nomination and expression of interest forms could not have accepted any form that was not uploaded together with the copy of the NNPP membership card of the nominee?
For our party, and we are sure for INEC as well, the issue of membership of candidate is a non-issue since the system of nomination is designed by the commission in such a way that only registered members can be nominated and uploaded onto the portal.”
