Leaders of the New Nigeria people’s party (NNPP) have on Wednesday evening matched in unison to the premises of the united States, British embassies and the headquarters of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja over their dissatisfaction with the Appeal Court’s nullification of Abba Kabir Yusuf Governorship Election victory. (1)
The nullification, which was made on Nov. 17 by the Appeal Court, came a few weeks after the pronouncement of Yusuf the winner of the Kano State’s 2023 election by the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission on march 18.
Yusuf as the governorship flag bearer of the Nigeria People’s Part (NNPP) had early been declared duly elected by INEC with a vote count of 1,019,602 as against 890,705 votes by his opponent who ran for the same position under All Progressive Congress (APC).
Meanwhile, after examination of the Court’s ruling against the initial election results data produced by INEC , the leadership of NNPP has reported that there are dishonest moves to undermine the INEC credible declaration of true winner and veto will of the people of Kano State.
Other elective offices , apart from the governorship victory, where members of the NNPP had won during the recent 2023 National elections include 19 House of Representatives seats, 30 State Assembly seats across the country and two Senatorial positions.
The spokesperson, Barrister Ladipo Johnson, of the dissolved NNPP Presidential Campaign Council, has during an interview with the press said that NNPP will not relent in ensuring that the supreme court oversees justice over the ‘stolen mandate of governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the will of the people to choose their leaders.
And again, speaking confidently about his observation with the measures taken by the Appeal Court, he also added that the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Appeal Court has exposed the rulings of the court in favour of the APC governorship candidate.
Johnson said if we must progress as a nation, Nigeria must be allowed to toe the line of justice else we heading the way of crisis like it is in Ukraine and the Middle East all because of selfish agenda and some desperate politicians.
And speaking in his own words, he said, “All we ask for is justice to be done to the people of Kano by restoring our mandate given out freely by the people of Kano, who are today terribly traumatised and are in deep pain as a consequence of being democratically disempowered by the Tribunal and Appeal Court judgements without prejudice to the CTC that has exposed the dangerous game going on. It is not only a slap in the face but also a vicious blow to their hope of reaping democratic dividends for the choice they made.
“We are not oblivious to the fact that this attempt to forcefully hijack the Kano people’s mandate in the manner of a gangster is a ploy to destabilise Kano State and the entire Northern Region. We hasten to put it on record at this moment for global leaders that this is an ill-advised move whose consequences will reverberate not only in Nigeria but also in Africa and the whole world. The deliberate hijacking of a people’s mandate in Kano will no doubt have consequences politically, economically, and socially, especially in light of its humanitarian repercussions.”
Then meeting with representatives of the foreign embassies, Agnieszka Torres De Oliveira spoke to the NNP on behalf of the EU, saying that they will support democracy and ensure that their complaints are received by the relevant authorities for fair treatment of the matter. (2)
“Since 1999, when the present political dispensation started, we have deployed observers to monitor elections in Nigeria,” Agnieszka Torres De Oliveira recounted to them. “I personally observed the election in Kano, and I saw enthusiastic people. Thank you very much for your letter. We’ll follow the case and the developments. I will convey your message to Ambassador Samuela Nsopi. I want to commend you for peacefully expressing your political views. It is always important when you Engage on critical matters.”
