The Independent National Electoral Commission has refuted claims that it was dropping Appeal against the Tribunal judgment which declared APC’s Nasir Gawuna winner of the Governorship election in Kano State.
INEC had declared Abba Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election in Kano State.
All Progressive Congress candidate Nasir Gawuna approached the Tribunal and won.
INEC statement reads;
INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
THE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION PETITION CASE IN KANO STATE
The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports based on a letter written by the Legal Officer of our Kano State office indicating that the Commission had withdrawn from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case.
We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorised. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.
The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal.
We wish to state categorically that where litigants join INEC in a case, the Commission is under obligation to respond accordingly. We have therefore instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.
Sam Olumekun mni
National Commissioner & Chairman,
Information and Voter Education Committee
Saturday 7th October 2023