The Progressives League of Youth Voters (PLYV) has warned top notchers of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and other subversive elements against intimidating justices of the court of appeal adjudicating on the outcome of the Kano state election petition tribunal which upturned the victory of Governor Abba Yusuf at the poll.
The national coordinator of the group, Amb. Audu Usman Shuaibu in a statement Sunday in Abuja, alleged that the NNPP in collaboration with the out-going Governor Yusuf have being sponsoring negative campaign against the judiciary in a bid to blackmail the learned Justices of the Appeal Court and bully them into subverting the course of justice.
The group maintained that there is no amount of intimidation or blackmail that will deter the appeal court from delivering just judgement.
Calling on well meaning Nigerians to encourage the Hon. Justices of the Appeal Court especially the ones handling the Kano State governorship appeal not to give in to their gimmicks, they adviced politicians to desist from electoral fraud as the Nigerian judicial system is determined and strong enough to strengthening democracy by upholding the rule of law at all times.
“The judiciary has proven to be the last hope of the common man with the series of judgements being delivered so far,” it noted.
“Although, various Civil Society Organizations including the Transmission Monitoring Group TMG have come out openly to admit that, over 165,000 votes allocated to the NNPP were invalid, thereby does not exist in the first instance, the Kano State Governor is still busy funding civil society organisations and some individuals like Femi Falana to attack the high reputation of the judiciary which is being applauded across party line.”
The Kano state governorship election petition tribunal had on the 20th of September 2023 sacked Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf as Governor of Kano State and declared Dr. Nasiru Gawun as the duly elected Governor of the State after separating over 165,000 invalid votes earlier allocated to the NNPP in the March 18th 2023 governorship poll.
The NNPP Abba Kabir Yusuf was allocated a total of 1,019,602 votes and was declared winner against the APC Dr. Nasiru Gawuna who pulled 890, 705 votes. It is worthy of note that, after the deductions of the illegal or invalid votes of 165,663 votes which left the out-going Kano State Governor and his party with 853, 939, the APC candidate won the election with vote difference of 36,766 votes and was declared duly elected by the tribunal.
