Despite past legal victories, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a cross-appeal at the Supreme Court, asserting that Governor Abba Yusuf’s alleged certificate forgery renders him ineligible for the Kano State governorship role.
Previously, the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal had removed Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), affirming the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial poll.
Initially declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in March 2023, Abba Yusuf of the NNPP secured victory by a margin exceeding 100,000 votes.
The APC contested the election results, alleging electoral misconduct. Subsequently, the Tribunal invalidated Yusuf’s election in September 2023, citing over 160,000 null votes due to irregularities in ballot papers.
Although Yusuf appealed the Tribunal’s decision, the Court of Appeal in November 2023 upheld the nullification, disqualifying him further for failure to provide the NNPP membership register to INEC.
Amidst this, a discrepancy surfaced between the court’s oral judgment and the certified true copy (CTC) of the verdict.
The NNPP appealed to the Supreme Court, asserting that the CTC upheld Yusuf’s win while acknowledging a clerical error, pledging rectification.
The APC’s cross-appeal to the Supreme Court contends that Yusuf’s submission of Form EC9 to INEC constitutes a falsified certificate, rendering him ineligible under Section 182(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution.
They argue the lower court’s failure to declare Form EC9 a forged certificate is pivotal in resolving the case conclusively.
The cross appeal seeks a Supreme Court ruling on whether Form EC9 constitutes a forged certificate, disqualifying Yusuf and solidifying Gawuna’s victory.