Kano State Government Welcomes Court of Appeal's Judgment Upholding Local Government Elections

The Kano State Government has expressed joy and satisfaction with the Court of Appeal's ruling, which set aside an earlier decision by the Federal High Court in Kano that sought to stop the conduct of local government elections in the state. The appellate court, presided over by Justice Oyewumi, ruled that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain a matter concerning the conduct of local government elections. The state government sees this as a landmark judgment that affirms the credibility and validity of the elections held across the 44 local government areas and 484 wards.

Key Takeaways:

• The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Oyewumi, ruled that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), challenging the credibility of the local government elections.
• The appellate court upheld the appeal filed by the Kano State Government, nullifying the earlier decision of the lower court and affirming that the elections held across the 44 local government areas and 484 wards were valid and legally binding.
• The Kano State Government expressed joy and satisfaction with the judgment, which is seen as a vindication of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's commitment to conducting a credible, free, and fair election.
• The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano has indicated that it may proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment, citing that the court's ruling only addressed jurisdiction and not the substance of its allegations.
• The APC maintains that the claims of KANSIEC being biased and lacking legal grounds to conduct the election were not dismissed by the court, leaving further legal options on the table.
• Prof. Sani Lawan Malumfashi, the Chairman of KANSIEC, has not commented personally on the judgment, despite being implicated in the party's allegations of bias.

Statistics:

• 44 local government areas in Kano State where elections were conducted.
• 484 wards in Kano State where elections were conducted.
• The number of elected officials in the 44 local governments councils areas and 484 Wards of the state, as stated by the Kano State Government, is not provided.
• The number of times the Kano State Government appealed the lower court's decision to the Court of Appeal, is not specified.
• No quantitative data is provided on the number of parties that participated in the local government elections or the percentage of votes secured by each party.

Sources:

• LEADERSHIP
• LEADERSHIP (no date)
• Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya