Why Yusuf was dismissed by a three-judge panel after they ruled that 165,663 of his votes were invalid

Arise reports that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) will present an appeal to the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday, contesting the Kano Election Petitions Tribunal’s decision to void his election.

The Kano Election Petitions Tribunal challenged and ultimately overturned Governor Yusuf’s victory, which is at the centre of the election controversy. On September 20, 2023, a three-judge panel headed by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay dismissed Yusuf after concluding that 165,663 of his votes were invalid because “they were not signed or stamped by INEC.”

After hearing the tribunal’s verdict, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf called it “unfair” and “a miscarriage of justice,” prompting him to lodge an appeal.

Involved in the lawsuit are not only Governor Yusuf and his party, the NNPP, but also the All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition, and INEC.

Abba Kabir Yusuf was officially declared the winner of the gubernatorial election on March 18, 2023, with 1,019,602 votes, but this result has since been challenged. His APC opponent, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, received 890,705 votes, in contrast.

A total of 165,663 of Governor Yusuf’s votes were declared illegitimate by the tribunal, reducing his total to 853,939 and leaving him 30,000 votes behind Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.

The tribunal decided that Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna was the rightful governor, and it ordered INEC to revoke Governor Yusuf’s certificate of election.