Kano tribunal invalidates governor’s win, crowns APC’s Gawuna as new leader

Kano tribunal invalidates governor’s win, crowns APC’s Gawuna as new leader

The Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has ruled in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared Nasir Gawuna the winner of the March 18 election, thereby removing Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from office.

Governor Yusuf, who ran on the ticket of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), had initially been declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, the APC, led by Nasir Gawuna, chose to contest the results in court.

READ ALSO: Judgment underway as Kano Governorship tribunal goes virtual

The three-member panel of the tribunal made the decision on Wednesday, ordering the withdrawal of Governor Yusuf’s certificate of return and instructing the issuance of a certificate of return to Gawuna instead. In a striking revelation, the court invalidated 165,663 votes from Governor Yusuf’s total count, deeming them as having no validity due to the absence of proper stamps or signatures on the ballot papers.

Further details about the ruling will be provided later.