Guber Poll: FRSC cautious NNPP, APC supporters against ‘wild celebrations’ after tribunal judgment

All Progressives Congress (APC) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) supporters in Kano have been cautioned by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) not to engage in “wild celebrations” following the ruling of the governorship election petitions tribunal on Wednesday.

According to a statement from sector commander Ibrahim Sallau-Abdullahi, “Supporters should resist the temptation of wild celebrations during and after tribunal judgement, especially with vehicles or causing any form of obstruction on the roads.”

Adding, “Road traffic crashes will not be permitted, as offenders will face the full wrath of the law. Wild celebrations may result in a violation of traffic laws and regulations, obstructing highways.”

Mr. Sallau-Abdullahi declared that during and after the tribunal’s ruling, FRSC employees and representatives from other security organizations will not tolerate careless driving, route violations, driving while intoxicated, careless parking, overloading, speeding, or driving by minors.

Drivers should carefully follow traffic laws and regulations, Mr. Sallau-Abdullahi urged.

On the APC’s appeal contesting the NNPP’s Governor Abba Yusuf’s victory in the March 18 gubernatorial election, the tribunal is expected to rule at any minute.

The lawyers representing the parties to the case received a notice from the tribunal on Monday, announcing the date of the judgment. The news was released a few weeks after attorneys on August 21 presented their closing arguments on behalf of their clients.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that the APC’s candidate, Nasir Gawuna, received 890,705 votes, while the NNPP received 1,019,602 votes to win. By a margin of 128,897 votes, the NNPP candidate won as a result.

Disgruntled, the APC petitioned the tribunal to contest the results that the electoral board had announced.

Due in part to the fact that it is a proxy conflict between opposing political heavyweights in the state whose influence reaches throughout the country, the petition has drawn attention from both inside and outside the state.

As the governor was not a complete and registered member of the NNPP prior to the election, the petitioner pleaded for the NNPP governorship candidate to be declared void.

Having received the most votes, the APC sought the tribunal to proclaim its candidate the winner. Or else the lead margin is smaller than the votes that were canceled, hence the tribunal ought to consider the governor election to be impossible to call.

In light of the APC petition’s lack of merit, the respondents have requested that the tribunal dismiss it.

All of the reasons made by the APC, according to NNPP, are essentially flawed, incompetent, and worthless. Because no competent court has the authority to rule on a petition in which the front-runner (the candidate for governor) is not included, the NNPP had contended that the APC’s petition should be declared illegal in the first place.