NNPP Chieftain Decries Appeal Court’s Verdict on Kano Governorship, Plans Supreme Court Challenge

Adekunle Aderibigbe, a Lagos State chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has condemned the recent verdict of the Appeal Court that removed the NNPP’s elected governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf.

Aderibigbe, who was also an NNPP candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly in the 2023 general elections, expressed his concerns to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), characterizing the decision as an attempt to deprive the majority of Kano citizens of their mandates.

In his statement to NAN, Aderibigbe argued that the court’s ruling undermined the fundamental democratic principle of majority choice and citizen participation in elections.

He highlighted that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s party membership was not contested before his election and was recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Aderibigbe stated, “Questioning his party membership at this moment, eight months down the line of the election, is not just evidence of a lack of substances to nullify the outcome of the election.”

He expressed the NNPP’s intention to exercise its right to be heard and seek justice by disputing the verdict at the Supreme Court.

Optimistic about the Supreme Court’s decision, Aderibigbe hoped for the reinstatement of Governor Yusuf, emphasizing the importance of upholding the democratic choice of the majority of Kano citizens.

The Appeal Court’s ruling, delivered by Justice M. U. Adumeh, declared Nasiru Gawuna of the APC as the winner of the March 18, 2023, Kano State governorship election, based on the argument that Yusuf was not a valid NNPP member at the time of the election.