Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing and verdict of the controversial Kano governorship election case, a group of retired judicial personnel has urged apex court to affirm what it termed ‘popular victory’ of Governor Abba Yusuf and save judiciary from further embarrassment.
The group, under the aegis of Transparent Justice Initiative, TJI, noted that the judiciary remains the last hope of common man, stressing that it should reflect so in its verdicts, especially on election matters.
In a statement signed on Wednesday in Kaduna, the Coordinator of the group, Stanley Kingsley, expressed confidence in the supreme court, saying: “Over the years it has demonstrated ability to protects rule of law; ensure supremacy of law and safeguards rights of individuals.”
“And we have no doubts in our minds that the Supreme Court will critical study the tribunal and appeal Court judgement in order to ensure that voices and rights of the people which are of utmost importance and are guaranteed as stipulated in our constitution electoral act .”
The group stated that it would amount to a case of “Miscarriage of Justice” for the apex court to remove a popularly elected candidate.
“We saw how on March 18, 2023, people came out en masse and voted for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf with a total of 1,019,602 votes and a margin of 128,897 votes between him and second place, APC candidate.
“The panel upheld the verdict of the tribunal led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay that sacked Yusuf on September 20, 2023.
“The lower court had declared 165,663 votes of Yusuf, who contested under the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), invalid on the grounds that they were not signed or stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We have carefully read the judgement and discovered that this is the first time in the history that a tribunal would annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers and this must be avoided in future,” the group stressed.
The group which asked the court to shun pressure from the judiciary however said: “We believe and have full confidence that the Supreme Court will do the needful and ensure the mandate of the Kano people who voted.
“Everywhere in the world, the judiciary is widely respected and relied upon for justice and we strongly believe it be same afterwards.”
The group, therefore, urged Nigerians not lost confidence in the judiciary as it remains a dependable institution that strengthens democracy.
