By Ayo Kehinde
The Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has annulled the election of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate Dr Nasir Yusuf Gawuna as winner in the March 18 poll.
Yusuf, who contested on the platform of the New Nigerian Peoples Party , NNPP, was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in March 2023 declared Abba Yusuf, the candidate of NNPP winner and returned elected, having poll 1,019,602 votes to defeat Nasiru Gawuna of the APC who scored 890,705 votes.
But on Wednesday, the three-man panel ordered withdrawal of certificate of return which INEC presented to Governor Yusuf and directed a certificate of return to be issued to Gawuna.
The court deducted 165,663 votes from Gov Yusuf total as invalid votes, stating that the ballot papers 165,663, were not stamped or signed and therefore declared invalid.
APC Gawuna had told the tribunal in his petition that Governor Yusuf was not a valid member oh the NNPP and therefore asked the court to declare him and APC as the winner of the election having scored the highest votes cast if the invalid votes are removed from the lawful scores of NNPP.
The petitioner also prayed the Tribunal in the alternative to declare the election as inconclusive, alleging that the margin of lead is not more than the votes cancelled.
