Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has hired a renowned legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), to lead his battle to regain his mandate at the Court of Appeal.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had last month sacked Governor Yusuf and declared his challenger, Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the rightful winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election in the State.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Tribunal as the court of first instance, Governor Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) filed a 42-ground of appeal before the appellate court, asking the higher Court to set aside the judgement of the Tribunal and also strike out the petition of the APC against his electoral victory as earlier declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to a copy of the notice of appeal, Olanipekun, SAN, who led the legal team of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), is now the legal counsel of the Kano State governor.
Also, on the legal team of the governor is Bode Olanipekun (SAN), Ibrahim G. Waru and Akintola Makinde, all with Wole Olanipekun & Co, the legal firm handling the appeal, while Chief E.O.B. Offiong (APC) remains the counsel for the APC.