Social media users have reacted differently to the decision of the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which nullified the election of Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State.
A five-member panel of justices on Friday unanimously held that the lower court misunderstood the import of the purported deduction of 165,616 ballot papers in favour of Governor Yusuf.
The lead judgment by Justice Inyang Okoro also held that the issue of Governor Yusuf’s membership was a pre-election matter.
He said the finding that by the virtue of Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 134(1) of the Electoral Act, Governor Yusuf was not sponsored by the NNPP, was not a finding of the electoral tribunal but a mere observation that his name was not contained in the membership list.
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“This court has consistently maintained that the issue of nomination or sponsorship of a candidate for an election is completely an exclusive prerogative of the political party,” he held.
Meanwhile, this has elicited mixed reactions from Nigerians on X, Facebook and other social media platforms.
Below are some of such comments:
Writing via @OgechukwuChime, one Ogechukwu Chime said: “APC/Judiciary could have set the country on fire starting from kano, but they got wise counsel this time.”
@Nwanne9ja said: “I knew they were never gonna take that away from NNPP, protest and politicians will respect themselves.”
@Nabill_Nasil wrote: “One lesson from this is that no matter how bleak the situation might seem, God is in control. APC were so sure of their victory, almost arrogant in their approach. Meanwhile, Abba kept on calming his supporters, telling them to have faith.”
@SeunAwogbenle: “This is why I do not take the denigration of the judiciary lying down, it never sits well with me, when people attempt to impugn the judiciary. Now that Kano is back to NNPP, I doubt anyone would commend their Lordships, but when it is otherwise, it is “all eyes on judiciary”.
@Total9∅_king: “Alhamdulillah, i don’t have a favorite political candidate. But this is Justice, this is who kano people voted for.”
@Yusuph: “Gawuna is my governor from this day until my last day!”
@chaichowski: “They averted trouble… it’s very simple, no gree for anybody, if the people are ready to die for what they believe is right and just, no court can trample on it, it’s very clear, if obidients where ready to hit the street from the first tribunal, the Supreme Court wld have caved”
On Facebook, one Baba Kura Abubakar simply wrote: “Gawuna is coming.”
Tajudeen Mayowa said: “Continue your demolition of properties in kano, supreme has told u to continue with it.congratulations to kano people.”
Taofeek Suleiman: “Congratulations, the idea of Kano APC celebrating victory in advance was provocative and uncalled for .However the Gov must be magnanimous in victory.”
Daily Trust reports that the Supreme Court had on December 21, 2023 reserved judgment after hearing the appeals.
In March 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Yusuf as the winner of the Kano governorship election.
The Kano governor scored 1,019,602 votes to defeat Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 890,705 votes.
In September, the Kano governorship election petition tribunal sacked Yusuf as governor of the state.
The tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from the 1,019,602 recorded for Yusuf because the ballot papers were not stamped, signed and dated as required by law.
The tribunal then declared Gawuna as the winner of the election.
The NNPP and its candidate, displeased by the verdict challenged the judgment at the appellate court.
On November 17, 2023, the court of appeal upheld the tribunal’s verdict and added that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when he contested the election.
However, controversy trailed the verdict days later when a certified true copy (CTC) of the appeal court judgment surfaced, contradicting the November 17 ruling.
The copy of the judgment ruled against and in favour of the NNPP candidate simultaneously, eliciting outrage on social media platforms and the streets.
The appeal court issued a statement blaming “clerical error” for the contradictions or discrepancies.
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