Tribunal requested us to withdraw from Kano guber appeal – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opened up on the issues surrounding the letter in circulation signifying the commission stand not to participate in the appeal against the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal judgement sacking Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

The Head of legal Department in Kano, Barrister Suleiman Alkali, who signed the letter in circulation, told Daily Trust in a chat that it was the tribunal secretariat that requested the electoral umpire to write the said letter.

Speaking behind the issuance of the letter in the first place and later withdrawn, he said the tribunal requested the letter.

“The letter was mischievously requested by the Tribunal Secretary and I wrote to them for a purpose and they deliberately escalated it. The letter had been withdrawn. It no longer has legal backing,” he said via a text message.

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While the tribunal secretary did not respond to inquiries, an official at the tribunal registry, who asked not to be identified, told our reporter during a visit to the registry on Saturday that the letter was never submitted.

“We did not receive anything here and if they claim that, they should produce the acknowledged copy.

“When he (the HOD legal) approached us with the issue via phone we said no and asked him to put it formally in writing.

“However, we are not the ones to entertain that but our head office in Abuja. We also work under directives of our superiors,” one of the officials, who asked not to be mentioned confirmed.

Daily Trust, however gathered that a Notice of Appeal was filed on behalf of INEC on October 3 by the law office of Dikko & Mahmoud, the law firm of A.B Mahmood (SAN), a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association.