Kano Court Did Not Nullify Abia Gov-elect’s Victory, Document Reveals

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano, has denied nullifying the candidature of the Abia State governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti.

Otti contested the 2023 governorship election in Abia State on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

The court, however, said it nullified the election of the Kano LP candidates that contested the 2023 general election on Friday.

A member of LP, Ibrahim Haruna-Ibrahim, had filed an application asking the court to revoke and set aside the certificate of return issued to all LP candidates declared winners in Kano State and the 35 States of the Federation, including the FCT Abuja.

However, following the mixed reactions that have trailed the judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Nasir-Yunusa affirmed that the candidates in Abia State who took part in the just-concluded general elections were not parties in the suit before him in Kano.

The judge said the court declared only the primary elections of the Labour Party in Kano State null and void.

“The candidates that participated in the election in Abia State are not parties before this Court as such the Court lacks the jurisdiction to make an order for the issuance of Certificate of Return to them. They are, however, at liberty to seek the said redress in the appropriate Division of the Court,” the Judge ruled.