Falana slams judges for sacking Kano governor

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted the verdict by the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal nullifying the victory of Governor Abba Yusuf.

The human rights lawyer spoke on Channels TV on Friday, insisting that omitting 165,000 votes on the basis of not being stamped was improper. He said the judges should not have punished the voters for errors committed by INEC.

“You cannot punish voters for the errors of INEC. That was what recently happened in Kano, where 165,000 votes were said to have not been marked by INEC officials,” he said.

Falana added: “We are asking our judges to embrace justice—substantial justice—in a way that you cannot punish voters for the errors of INEC. You cannot challenge the validity of the ballot papers.

“So, I think these are the areas where our judges will have to go back to the drawing table.”