The Kano State government yesterday said it is not disturbed by the judgement of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal last week, adding that it is focused on providing governance in the state.
The government reiterated that the appeal process is being completed and accused one of the judges of insulting people in the course of delivering the verdict.
Recall that the Tribunal last week upheld the petition of All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Nasir Gawuna, and nullified the victory of the Governor Abba Yusuf and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the last election.
Addressing newsmen yesterday in Kano, the commissioner for Information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, said Governor Abba Yusuf, NNPP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission will appeal the judgement.
“People from all folds are urging the government to appeal, urging the party to appeal and urging INEC to appeal because it is a judgement that has never been seen before in the life of perhaps this country; where a judge is insulting people, where a judge is discarding justice. It is apparent, it is clear. So this is being appealed, the lawyers are handling that aspect.
“You will see the appeal is going to be in three folds; the governor will appeal, the party will appeal and also INEC will appeal. We are waiting to see how it will play out but definitely, the governor has instructed his lawyers to go on appeal.
“I’m sure they have gone far because it is not as easy as we think because they have to study the judgement and find out areas to raise at the Appeal Court. The processes are on.”
The commissioner however said governance will continue, adding that the government activities have not stopped.
“At the council meetings as usual, memos were brought by different ministries and by different commissioners and were signed.
“Some were brought from the Ministry of Education where one of them worth N524.83 million was approved for the payment of 2023 SSCE internal registration fees. Kano state government sponsors students.
“Another one from the same Ministry is that of the payment of 25 contractors who were awarded contracts in between July 2011 and to 2015. So you could see from that period to now they haven’t been paid and the amount approved at the council for that N727 million.
“So there are so many of them amounting to about N3 billion that include the payment of registration fees for Kano state indigenes in Bayero University Kano, which amounts to N812 million. I just spoke with the Accountant General who said the money has been paid yesterday.
“There are major decisions that have been taken that affect the lives of the people of Kano state” he said.
Speaking on the tension that followed the judgement, the Dantiye said the tension has since died down, adding that people are going about their normal businesses.
“Tension has been doused, there is no tension now. There was tension on the day of the judgement because the Tribunal did the unexpected. They awarded somebody’s election to someone who had since given up and was not part of the case and this is anomalous. That was why there was tension as the people were angry and the Police had to impose a 24-hour curfew but has since been completely removed” he stated.
