Falana requests review of judgements sacking Kano, Plateau governors

Femi Falana, a human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has requested a review of the Appeal Court’s rulings, which resulted in the removal of Governors Abba Yusuf of Kano State and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State.

During an interview on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Falana made this call and harshly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to hold legitimate elections in Nigeria.

“The votes cast by Nigerians ought not to be invalidated by the judiciary due to the purported incompetence of the electoral umpire, who ought not to have approved candidates nominated by political parties without holding primary elections,” he said.

“The failure of INEC officials to stamp ballot sheets should not result in the court invalidating thousands of votes.”
He said that elections have to be finished before the start of any new government in the nation.

“Shaming voters for election officials’ errors is a very risky legal strategy. It is being claimed that 165,000 ballots were cast in error and are thus invalid since some electoral officials neglected to stamp them, Falana stated.

“I sincerely hope that the Supreme Court will finally put an end to these pointless disputes regarding INEC officials’ failure to stamp ballots, despite their not being advised to face any consequences.

“Therefore, a review of these judgements will be necessary.”
Three governors who were all affiliated with opposition parties and whom INEC had declared the winners of the March 2023 election have already been removed by the Appeal Court.

On Friday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Nasir Gawuna defeated Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in the Kano governorship election petition tribunal, and the ruling was upheld by the court of appeals in Abuja.
In its ruling, a three-judge Appeal court panel declared that the NNPP had violated the constitution by supporting Yusuf, a non-member of the party, as its candidate for governor of Kano.

Read Also: Nigeria resumes passport services in US after Internet hitch

After deeming the result inconclusive, the appeal court in Zamfara state fired Governor Dauda Lawal, who ran on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

The court then ordered INEC to hold new elections in three of Zamfara state’s local government areas.

The appellate court dismissed Mutfwang of the PDP on Sunday and directed INEC to provide Nentawe Goshwe of the APC a Certificate of Return.