A recent development in the Kano State gubernatorial election petition has taken a surprising turn as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) retracts its initial withdrawal of the appeal against the judgment of the Tribunal.
It was reported that INEC had initially withdrawn its appeal, as indicated in a letter signed by Suleiman Alkali, the head of the commission’s legal department in Kano, on Friday. The letter stated that INEC had no reason to pursue an appeal against the Tribunal’s judgment.
In the letter addressed to the secretary of the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, INEC’s legal department stated, “I have been instructed by the commission headquarters that INEC as an umpire has no reason to appeal any judgment. Consequently, the National Commissioner in charge of Legal Services and National Commissioner in charge of Kano zone directed that the appeal be withdrawn, and all processes for all Appeals should be forwarded to the Kano Office.”
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However, the situation took an unexpected twist when Alkali later stated that the letter had been withdrawn. According to reports, when confronted by legal counsel representing INEC in the matter, Alkali claimed to have been misled into writing the initial letter and apologized for his “mistakes.”
While he did not disclose who had misled him, Alkali explained that he withdrew the letter within 40 minutes of submitting it to the Tribunal. He expressed surprise that it had found its way into the media and indicated that some authorities may have attempted to use him as a scapegoat in the matter.
The Kano State gubernatorial election petition has been a subject of contention since the three-member Tribunal panel, on September 20, nullified the election of Governor Abba Yusuf and declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll.
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