Suleiman Anyalewechi, Aba
The All Progressives Congress, APC, kano State chapter has promised to revisit the issue of the demolition of property of some individuals by the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, led administration in the State.
It will be recalled that the government of Gov Abba Kabir Yusuf had in the early weeks of its life demolished several highbrow properties citing encroachment on government and public land as a major reason.
This is even as the National Headquarters of the NNPP has described the Wednesday September 20, 2023 ruling by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sacking Gov Abba Yusuf as not only laughable but a pure miscarriage of justice
NewsCritic online reports that the three-man panel sitting in kano had in a unanimous decision nullified the declaration of NNPP’s Governor Yusuf as the winner of the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial polls and subsequently declared Dr Nasir Yusuf Guwana as the duly elected Governor of Kano state.
The judgement has since raised the political temperature of the state to a near boiling point, forcing security officials to beef up security with dusk to dawn curfew imposed on the otherwise sprawling commercial hub of Northern Nigeria.
At a special thanks giving prayer session held at the Kofar Mata Eid Prayer Ground, the Kano State Chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas said victims of the demolition exercise would be compensated by the APC led administration in the state.
Alhaji Abbas, a prominent scion of the Kano Royal stool appealed to APC supporters to eschew all acts capable of truncating the peace, and security of the state while savouring the victory of the party.
“We are back to right the wrongs of the past as well as the imperial tendencies meted out to our beloved kano citizens. Be assured that things will return to normal and your businesses will thrive again once we assume office.
We are going to return all demolished properties to their owners with compensation. This is a promise and we will certainly fulfil it, “Abbas stated.
But in a statement issued on Wednesday September 20, 2023 signed by its acting National Chairman Abba Kawu Ali and made available to NewsCritic online, the NNPP expressed shock and disbelief over the decision of the election petition Tribunal to subtract a whopping 164,000 votes from the party and awarded same to its rival APC, adding that the judgement is not only unfair but a slap on the face of constitutionalism and rule of law.
According to the NNPP, the Tribunal verdict is capable of further discouraging the electorate from having confidence in the judiciary.
“The NNPP recalls with regret that this Tribunal verdict has simply replayed the unholy script of 2019 by over-turning the will of the people and awarding election results to those, who evidently lost the polls. The party will appeal this most unfair judgement, “the statement stated.
In the same vein, Gov Yusuf has signalled his intentions to avail himself the remaining higher judicial layers in his quest for justice.
In a state wide broadcast Wednesday, September 20, just hours after the Tribunal verdict, the embattled Governor while suing for calm, said his legal team has been instructed to appeal the ruling, noting that they are confident of securing justice.
He assured that his government will remain focused and continue to work for the people. This is even as he has described the entire ruling as a temporary set back.
