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Just In: Appeal Court Reserves Judgment in Yusuf, Gawuna Governorship Tussle
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgement in the appeal filed by Kano state governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, challenging the nullification of his election by the Kano Election Petition Tribunal.
At the court sitting on Monday, the governor’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun SAN prayed the court to allow the appellant’s appeal and set aside in its entirety, the judgement of the lower Tribunal.
The Counsel argued that the lower Tribunal has created new precedents which depart from all the judgments made by the appellate or Supreme Court.
On the issue of ballot papers, he contended that this is the first time in the history of the court that a Tribunal will annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers.
“In doing that, the lower Tribunal erred,” Olanipekun said.
He further argued that this was the first time that a political party filed a matter without joining its candidate as a party in the petition and the latter was declared winner of the polls.
“Can a political party be sworn after an election or take an oath?,” Olanipekun argued holding that the judgement of the lower Tribunal should not be allowed to stand
Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel for APC, in his reply on the issue of valid ballot, said the decisions of the Appeal Courts right from 2009 have emphatically stated if non signing of ballots amounts to electoral malpractice.
He argued that INEC regulations have set out what presiding officers are to do at the point of voting, adding that the back of ballot papers must be signed and dated.
He said where there is a failure of presiding officers to do the needful, it amounts to non-compliance to the Electoral Act.
On the APC candidate who was not joined as a party at the Tribunal, Olujimi said it is settled law that votes are cast for the party in an election and that any decision affecting a political party embraces all its members.
“Judgement in this appeal is hereby reserved to a date to be communicated to the parties,” the court of appeal said.
In the APC’s cross-appeal, Olujimi also urged the court to hold that the Kano State governor was not a member of the NNPP as of the time he was sponsored by the party.
A.B Mahmoud SAN, counsel for INEC, asked the appeal court to dismiss APC’s cross-appeal for lacking in merit.
It could be recalled that on September 20, 2023, the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had nullified the election of Mr Yusuf by declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid, saying they were not signed or stamped by INEC.
INEC had declared Mr Yusuf winner of the March 18, 2023 election after he secured 1,019,602 votes against his opponent Nasiru Gawuna who secured 890,705 votes.
However, after the tribunal deducted the 165,663 votes from Mr Yusuf’s tally, his votes were reduced to 853, 939, which were over 30,000 votes less than the 890,705 votes polled by Mr Gawuna.
Consequently, the court declared the APC candidate winner of the governorship election and ordered the INEC to withdraw Mr Yusuf’s certificate of return and give Gawuna a new one.
But Mr Yusuf and his party the NNPP as well as the INEC appealed the tribunal’s judgement.
Source: DailyNews24
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
