Highlights
- NNPP Abba Yusuf Declared winner of the governorship election in Kano state
- The state government imposed a curfew in the state to avoid a breakdown of law and order
- Gawuna, the deputy governor of the state, polled 890,705 votes despite being the governor’s anointed candidate.
Abba Yusuf, the gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has been declared the winner of the Kano governorship election.
The announcement was made by Ahmad Dokko Ibrahim, the returning officer on Monday Morning. According to him, Yusuf defeated gawuna with 1,019,602 votes, while Gawuna polled 890,705 votes.
He was declared the winner after the coalition ended across 44 local government areas (LGAs) in Kano state.
Gawuna, who is the governor’s anointed candidate, is the incumbent deputy governor of the state.
Curfew imposed: Following the announcement of the result, The State Government imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the state.
Muhammad Garba, the state commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs who announced the curfew, said it was aimed at avoiding the breakdown of law and order in the state.
He urged the Kano people to observe the curfew as security operatives will be on the streets to arrest anyone found causing chaos.
Backstory
- In 2019, Yusuf contested against the incumbent Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
- However, he was defeated by Ganduje who won by polling 45,876 votes in the supplementary election held by INEC on march 23, in 28 out of the 44 LGAs in the state
- Not satisfied with the outcome of the election, Yusuf approached the state governorship election petition tribunal.
- Yusuf, alongside his party, challenged the declaration of Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.
- Respondents in the suit were; Ganduje, APC and INEC.
- However, on October 2, 2019, Justice Halima Mohammad Shamaki declared Ganduje winner of the 9th and 23rd March 2019, governorship election.
- Dissatisfied by this ruling, Yusuf approached the appeal court and in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Tijjani Abubakar, the Appeal court dismissed the appeal and affirmed Ganduje the duly elected governor of the state.
- He subsequently approached the supreme court and the apex court also affirmed Ganduje as the duly elected winner.
- Justice Sylvester Ngwuta held that Yusuf did not show that the Court of Appeal and the Election Tribunal were wrong in their earlier rulings.
- The seven-member panel said the appeal had no merit and dismissed it.
- Yusuf subsequently defected to the NNPP to vie for the governorship position.
