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BREAKING: Appeal Court to deliver judgement on Kano election dispute tomorrow Friday

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BREAKING: Appeal Court to deliver judgement on Kano election dispute tomorrow Friday
By Admin November 16, 2023
The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has slated tomorrow Friday November 19, 2023 for judgement on the governorship election dispute between Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the NNPP and Nasiru Gawuna of the APC.
This was revealed in a short note by Sanusi Bature, the chief press secretary of Governor Yusuf on Thusday.
It could be recalled that on September 20, 2023, the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had nullified the election of Mr Yusuf by declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid, saying they were not signed or stamped by INEC.
INEC had declared Mr Yusuf winner of the March 18, 2023 election after he secured 1,019,602 votes against his opponent Nasiru Gawuna who secured 890,705 votes.
However, after the tribunal deducted the 165,663 votes from Mr Yusuf’s tally, his votes were reduced to 853, 939, which were over 30,000 votes less than the 890,705 votes polled by Mr Gawuna.
Consequently, the court declared the APC candidate winner of the governorship election and ordered the INEC to withdraw Mr Yusuf’s certificate of return and give Gawuna a new one.
But Mr Yusuf and his party the NNPP as well as the INEC appealed the tribunal’s judgement.
At the last court hearing the governor’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun SAN had prayed the court to allow the appellant’s appeal and set aside in its entirety, the judgement of the lower Tribunal.
The Counsel argued that the lower Tribunal has created new precedents which depart from all the judgments made by the appellate or Supreme Court.
On the issue of ballot papers, he contended that this is the first time in the history of the court that a Tribunal will annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers.
“In doing that, the lower Tribunal erred,” Olanipekun said.
He further argued that this was the first time that a political party filed a matter without joining its candidate as a party in the petition and the latter was declared winner of the polls.
“Can a political party be sworn after an election or take an oath?,” Olanipekun argued holding that the judgement of the lower Tribunal should not be allowed to stand
Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel for APC, in his reply on the issue of valid ballot, said the decisions of the Appeal Courts right from 2009 have emphatically stated if non signing of ballots amounts to electoral malpractice.
He argued that INEC regulations have set out what presiding officers are to do at the point of voting, adding that the back of ballot papers must be signed and dated.

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Kano Assembly decries imbalance in Customs recruitment exercise

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The Kano State House of Assembly has expressed concern over what it described as injustice and regional imbalance in the ongoing recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The lawmakers alleged that the process heavily favoured states from the southern part of the country, particularly the South-West region, at the expense of the North.

The concern followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Majority Leader, Alhaji Lawan Hussaini Dala, during Thursday’s plenary session.

Presenting the motion, Dala said the recruitment exercise violated the principles of Federal Character meant to ensure equity and fair representation in federal employment.

He said that out of a total of 1,785 persons recruited nationwide, the South-West received more than half of the total slots, describing the distribution as “grossly unfair and unacceptable.”

According to him, Lagos got 207 slots, Ogun 145, Ondo 132, Osun 127, Oyo 108 and Ekiti 93 — making a total of 812 recruits from the South-West alone.

“In comparison, the North-West received only about seven per cent of the total recruitment, with Kano getting 31, Katsina 20, Jigawa 18 and Zamfara 16,” he said.

Dala said the entire northern region got only 651 slots, while the majority were allotted to southern states.

He called on the House to officially communicate its position to relevant federal authorities, including the National Assembly, the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and the Nigeria Customs Service, to demand a review of the exercise in the interest of fairness and inclusivity.

The Majority Leader warned that continued regional imbalance in federal employment could fuel mistrust and threaten national unity.

Other members who contributed to the debate supported the motion and urged northern lawmakers at the National Assembly to take up the matter for redress.

They stressed that equitable representation in federal recruitment remained vital to sustaining Nigeria’s unity and promoting a sense of belonging among citizens.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Alhaji Jibril Ismail Falgore, commended Dala for raising the motion, describing it as patriotic and in defence of justice and fairness.

He directed the relevant House Committee to investigate the recruitment figures and report back for further legislative action.

 

 

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500 NNPP supporters defect to APC in Kano

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500 NNPP supporters defect to APC in Kano

 

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Kano, Five hundreds of members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from Fagge and Ungogo Local Government Areas of Kano State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin Development Authority, Engr. Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, received the defectors on Tuesday, saying their move reflects growing confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership and APC’s progressive vision.

 

Bichi noted APC’s development-oriented policies were attracting Nigerians, citing defection of some governors as testament to the party’s strength.

 

He assured new members of equal opportunity and integration into APC, saying no member would be marginalized.

 

Bichi highlighted APC-led government’s visionary policies on food security and economic growth, noting Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin’s modern irrigation techniques align with Tinubu’s food security agenda.

 

Former APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, represented by Kano APC Chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, commended defectors for joining APC, assuring them of sustainable development commitment.

 

Kano Central APC Chairman Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Ungogo said Tinubu’s policies had boosted Nigeria’s economy, restoring public confidence in APC.

 

Defectors cited APC’s developmental strides and commitment to improving Nigerians’ lives as reasons for their move, expressing optimism it would enhance party’s grassroots strength ¹ ² ³.

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MD Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin Welcomes Hundreds of NNPP Members into APC

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MD Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin Welcomes Hundreds of NNPP Members into APC

By Ahmed Mohammad Kano

The Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin Development Authority, Eng.Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, on Tuesday received hundreds of defectors from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) into the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Fagge and Ungogo Local Government Areas of Kano State.

Speaking at the reception ceremony, Bichi said the mass defection was a clear indication of the growing confidence Nigerians have in the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the progressive vision of the APC.

He noted that Nigerians were increasingly embracing the party due to its development-oriented policies, adding that the recent defection of some state governors to the APC was further proof of the party’s strength and national appeal.

Bichi assured the new members of equal opportunity and full integration into the party, stating that no member would be marginalized.

He said the APC-led Federal Government had introduced visionary policies aimed at uplifting the welfare of citizens, particularly in areas of food security and economic growth.

Highlighting the contributions of the Hadejia-Jam’are River Basin Development Authority, the Managing Director revealed that modern irrigation techniques have been introduced in line with President Tinubu’s food security agenda and efforts to boost agricultural productivity.

In a goodwill message, the immediate past National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, represented by the Kano State APC Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, commended the defectors for their decision to join the ruling party.

He assured them that they would not regret their decision, as the APC remains committed to delivering sustainable development across the country.

Also speaking, the Kano Central APC Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Ungogo, who represented Abbas, said President Tinubu’s policies had significantly boosted the nation’s economy, thereby restoring public confidence in the APC.

Some of the defectors, while speaking to journalists, said their decision was influenced by the developmental strides of the APC-led government and the party’s commitment to improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

They expressed optimism that their defection would contribute to the party’s grassroots strength and overall success in future elections.

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