In an unexpected twist of fate, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, expressed his dismay over the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Court of Appeal’s judgment affirming the election of Abba Yusuf as Kano State governor. The confusion arose when the CTC, duly signed by the three justices, revealed contradictory declarations in the judgment.
The chairman of the three-man panel, Moore Adumein, had initially upheld the tribunal’s judgment, declaring Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Kano. However, the CTC, released on Tuesday, contained discrepancies, such as contradictory statements within the judgment and an award of N1,000,000 cost in favor of the NNPP against the APC, contrary to the earlier pronouncement.
Falana, reacting to this perplexing development, characterized it as “scandalous” to the integrity of the judiciary. He specifically criticized the court’s decision to penalize millions of voters for mistakes committed by INEC officials, emphasizing the need for clarity and consistency in judicial proceedings.
He stated, “You will be surprised if I show you the judgment of Kano. That one was almost scandalous. To my utter dismay, the majority judgment upheld the appeal, set aside the judgment of the lower court, and awarded cost in favor of the governor that was removed by the lower tribunal, contrary to the impression that was given out there.”
“The main judgment of the Court of Appeal has confirmed that the judgment of the lower court is wrong and has set it aside in writing and granted all the relief sought by Governor Abba. So many contradictions that the court can no longer explain,” Falana added.
