Youth Coalition questions Kano Tribunal’s verdict, calls for redress
The Northern Youth Patriotic Group, in collaboration with five Coalition Groups from Kano state, has voiced their strong dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s ruling on Wednesday, September 20th, 2023.
The ruling resulted in the removal of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from NNPP and the declaration of APC’s candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
During a press briefing held at PRNigeria’s Kano office, Engr. (Dr) Aminu Adam Takai, Chairman of the group, passionately expressed their concerns. He emphasized the urgent need to reinforce the independence of democracy in Nigeria to address the declining state of the nation’s rule of law.
Takai raised questions about the tribunal’s decision to invalidate 165,663 ballots from Abba Kabir Yusuf, reducing his vote count to 853,939, and placing him behind Gawuna, who received 890,705 votes. He noted the significant margin and raised suspicions about the tribunal’s handling of the case.
“It’s baffling that the tribunal didn’t declare the election inconclusive despite a difference of 36,766 votes and over 70,000 canceled votes,” Takai stated, suggesting a lack of transparency in the process.
Takai further argued that it’s statistically improbable that all the alleged invalid votes were from NNPP alone, especially given that APC was the ruling party. He pointed out that the suspected vote inflation occurred right before the APC agents at the polling unit.
He questioned the very essence of democracy, a system where power is supposed to be vested in the people, asking, “Who now holds that power in Kano?”
Takai concluded by urging the Nigerian Judiciary and the International Community to take action against the perceived injustice inflicted upon the people of Kano state.
