Leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State were so sure they would get victory at the Supreme Court regarding the governorship election that they had shared party uniforms, known as “aso ebi,” and renovated the party’s secretariat.
However, their dreams were shattered on Friday when the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), overturning the earlier decision by the Appeal Court that had nullified his victory.
The apex court reinstated 165,000 votes deducted by the appellate court, clarifying that the previously invalidated votes were improperly dismissed as “invalid” by the election petition tribunal in September 2023.
Initially, the tribunal had deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total, asserting that these votes were deemed invalid due to lacking proper stamps or signatures. The subsequent ruling favored Nasiru Gawuna of the APC, nullifying Yusuf’s victory in the March 18 governorship election. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in November 2023, contesting Yusuf’s eligibility to participate in the election.
In light of the upcoming Supreme Court judgment, local APC chapters in Kano distributed party uniforms to members, featuring the inscription “Section 177” on the T-shirts—a direct nod to Section 177 of the Nigerian Constitution, outlining the criteria for governorship candidacy.
Simultaneously, the Kano Secretariat of the APC underwent a renovation, completed just 24 hours before the Supreme Court hearing commenced. The once unadorned building along Maiduguri road now proudly displays images of the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, alongside the National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the state party chairman, Abdullahi Abbas. These preparations signify the party’s optimistic anticipation of a favourable Supreme Court verdict and its readiness to celebrate the victory.
