Appeal Court affirm Uba Sani as Kaduna govnor

Di Court of Appeal for Abuja don affirm Uba Sani of di All Progressives Congress (APC) as di govnor of Kaduna State.

Di three-member panel of di Appeal Court tok say di tribunal bin commit error sake of say dem depend on evidence wey no dey admissible to order di conduct of supplementary polls for 22 polling units of four local goment areas where dem tok say election dey inconclusive.

Isah Ashiru wey contest for Kaduna govnor under di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bin challenge di victory of Sani wey di Independent National Electoral Commission declare as winner after di March 18 election.

Di court tok say one key witness wey di PDP call during di tribunal hearing just give hearsay evidence as im no dey present wen di alleged malpractices wey im tok happun.

Di witness make allegation of deduction of votes, stuffing of ballot boxes, and mutilation of sensitive electoral materials, but di court tok say na just hearsay.

Di court also tok say di tribunal dey right to dismiss di petition of di PDP and Isa Ashiru sake of say di petitioners bin abandon dia petition for dia failure to apply for di issuance of a pre-hearing information sheet after close of pleadings as required by paragraph 18(1) of di first schedule to di Electoral Act 2022.

Before di Appeal Court give dia judgement, Sabiu Nasiru wey be staunch APC supporter for Kaduna bin tell BBC News Pidgin say e dey confident on dia victory for court.

“Na wetin happun for Tribunal I dey expect to happun again as per say PDP go lose and we go win, remember say tribunal bin dismiss dia case na wetin i dey expect again," e tok.

Bala Hadi wey be PDP supporter disagree wit Sabiu saying court of appeal go definitely right di wrong tin wey tribunal do.

“Na victory I dey expect today for PDP because even for tribunal I believe say na we win i just no understand di confusion wey follow later so I dey expect court of appeal to declare Ashiru as winner.”

For di March 2023 election Vice Chancellor of di Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Professor Lawal Suleiman Bilbis be di Inec Returning Officer for Kaduna State wey declare di result.

According to di result, Sani poll 730,002 to beat im closest challenger Mohammed Isa Ashiru of di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wey poll 719,196.

Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake come third afta polling 58,285 votes while di New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Suleiman Hunkuyi score 21,405 votes.

'Na win for democracy'

Kaduna Govnor Uba Sani don applaud di Court of Appeal verdict wey affirm am as di govnor of di state.

For one statement wey im tok-tok pesin Muhammad Lawal Shehu sign, di govnor tok say im don always remain confident for di judicial process.

“Dis na time to peacefully move forward and continue to work wit great care for di pipo of Kaduna witout distractions as di task ahead of us huge," Sani tok.

Sani describe di verdict as a “testament to di strength of our legal institutions, a win for democracy and a validation of di will of di pipo”.

Di govnor urge di opposition to accept di verdict in good faith and as di will of di pipo.

“Dis na time to come togeda as one to move our great state forward,” di govnor tok.

Meanwhile, Court of Appeal on Thursday confam All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate govnor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa as winner for di governorship election wey happun for di state.

David Ombugadu candidate of di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenge govnor Sule victory and elections tribunal bin grant am victory before dis development.

After di 18 March elections di Independent National Electoral Commision (Inec) bin declare govnor Sule di winner with 347,209 votes while Ombugadu score 283,016 votes.

Delivering di judgement on Thursday, di three-member panel, led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, tok say di tribunal no do di right tin for law afta dem conclude say govnor Sule no win majority of di votes for di election.

The Court also tok say di govnor no get fair hearing at di time.

No be tori again say Court of Appeal for Nigeria don give judgements wey remove di govnors of Kano, Zamfara and Plateau states – all na for Northern Nigeria.

Wit di judgement of Nasarawa state expected shortly some say anoda upset dey on di way afta elections tribunal don already remove di govnor.

Make we torchlight wetin happun for each state.

For Kano state Appeal court sack di incumbent govnor Abba Yusuf wey dem elect under di New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP).

Di three-man panel wey Justice M.A Adumeh lead for di judgement on Friday 17 November say di NNPP govnor sake of say im name no dey for di party register, im no dey qualified to contest di election under a party wey im no be member. Court also tok say dem no sponsor am properly.

Dis one dey different from wetin di tribunal bin tok.

APC and dia govnorship candidate Nasiru Gawuna bin challenge di victory of govnor Abba Kabir Yusuf of di New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for di 18 March 2023 elections.

For September di three-man tribunal panel presided over by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay tok say 165,663 votes from oga Yusuf total votes dey invalid.

Dem also say di ballot papers no dey stamped or signed diafore dey invalid - so dem reduce di number of votes of di NNPP candidate by 165,663.

But di appeal court no even tok about dis matter. Dia judgment na based on say Abba Yusuf no register well as a member of NNPP.

For Zamfara state di Court of Appeal for Abuja cancel di victory of govnor Dauda Lawal as dem call di results of di election wey hold for 18 March say e dey inconclusive.

For di judgement, di court ask Inec make dem run fresh elections for three local goment areas wey dem bin no conduct election before or dem no count results from di polling unit dia.

Dis judgement dey come afta former govnor Bello Mattawale wey bin dey contest file appeal on di mata.

Di latest judgement na from Plateau state wia di court of appeal in Abuja sack Mutfwang Manasseh as govnor of di state.

Delivering judgment on Sunday, di three-member panel of di court led by Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu tok say Manasseh no dey validly sponsored by im party di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for di election.

Na Nentawe Yilwatda, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) bin dey challenge govnor Muftwang victory for court.

Any hope for di govnors?

All di govnors don comot to yarn say dem no go give up and dem go carry di mata reach di highest court of di land di Supreme Court.

Lawal Lawal, one lawyer wey understand di matter dem for interview wit BBC News Pidgin say among di three govnors wey dey battle for dia seats na govnor Dauda Lawal get hope pass becos for im own case na im pipo go decide im fate.

“Why I tok say na Zamfara govnor get hope pass be say if Supreme Court uphold wetin court of appeal tok den na just for election to take place for three local goments for di state.”

“And we all know how govnors wey dey on seat dey act wen election dey happun for dia state.”

In di situation for Kano state di Lawyer dis one na serious argument go happun between both set of lawyers for Supreme Court and dat di case fit go either way.

“So based on di Court of Appeal ruling, di Kano govnor no be even member of di New Nigeria Peoples Party wey make am become govnor.

“So e dey up to im lawyers to prove otherwise. Dis case na serious argument go happun for Supreme Court.”

Barrister Lawal say among di three states na Plateau get di biggest wahala for Supreme Court as im party di PDP bin get crisis before March 2023 elections.

“So according to Court of Appeal, PDP no validly sponsor dia candidate well for di election because dem no hold congress or valid primaries for di govnor to emerge.

“So among di three cases I go say na Plateau get wahala pass because of di crisis wey PDP bin dey in before e emerge.”

So far, Appeal court don give judgement on governorship elections for six states. E get more states wey go get dia judgements.

E no clear if more upsets go dey.