A prominent member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has characterized the recent judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which nullified the election of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, as a temporary setback.
The affirmation of the tribunal’s decision by the Appeal Court on Friday declared the All Progressive Congress candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the governorship election.
Oguntoyinbo, in a statement released on Friday, expressed his reaction to the judgment, stating, “I received the news of today’s judgment as a rude shock. But I see it as a temporary setback as the judgment cannot stand the test of time.
“It is surprising that the judgments of the two courts are even different. While the Tribunal, led by Justice Oluyemi Osadebay, nullified the election of Governor Abba Yusuf by declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid.
“The tribunal held that the ballot papers were not signed nor stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The Court of Appeal, in its judgment, held that Yusuf was not in the membership register of his political party.
“This is surprising, to say a candidate of the party, that campaigned across the nook and crannies of the state and was voted for overwhelmingly by the people is not a member of the party is unbelievable.
“I urged His Excellency, Governor Abba Yusuf to remain calm, as this judgment cannot stand the test of time. I also pledged with our presidential candidate, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwakwanso to remain calm and urged our supporters nationwide to remain calm.”
