Breaking: Appeal Court Gives Verdict on Nullification of Kano LG Elections

• The Court of Appeal has struck out the judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified the Kano local government elections
• According to the appellate court, the subject matter of the case was not within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court
• The Court of Appeal also gave a verdict on the suit challenging the composition of the state's electoral body, KASIEC

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano, which voided the constitution of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC) and the local government election held on October 26, 2024.

Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, led a three-member panel of justices in a unanimous judgment on Friday, May 30, ruled that the trial court did not have the jurisdiction to hear cases about the composition of states' electoral bodies as well as the qualification of members of such bodies.

Court of Appeal allows Kano suit

The appellate court then allowed the three appeals filed by the attorney general of Kano, the Kano State House of Assembly and KASIEC and struck out the suit that was filed at the Federal High Court (where the local government election was earlier nullified) over a lack of jurisdiction.

The Nation reported that Justice Georgewill held that the court with the right jurisdiction to hear such a case is the Kano State High Court.

Also on Friday, the Court of Appeal, in its fourth judgment, struck out another verdict given by the same Federal High Court in Kano, which rejected the list of candidates that were submitted to KANSIEC by the Rabiu Kwankwaso's faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the same local government election.

Court of Appeal clears Kano NNPP leadership crisis

The Court of Appeal held that the case of the leadership dispute in the NNPP, as well as the list of candidates submitted by the factions in the ruling party in the state, were not within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. It further added that the controversies surrounding party leadership and the nomination of candidates cannot be justified.

The political crisis rocking Kano state stemmed from the outcome of the 2023 general election, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost to the NNPP, not only the governorship seat but majority of the elective seats in the state and national assembly.

Both the APC and the NNPP leaders have engaged in a series of legal battles in a bid to sack the new ruling party, while they are both making permutations ahead of the 2027 election. It has been a power tussle between Kwankwaso and the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Winners emerge in Kano LG elections

Legit.ng earlier reported that the NNPP has been declared the winners of the 44 local government chairmanship and councillorship elections held on Saturday, October 26.

Sani Malumfashi, the chairman of KANSIEC, described the election as peaceful while declaring the result of the election.

Six political parties, excluding the APC, participated in the election, whose security organisation was commended by observers.

Source: Legit.ng