These are indeed good times for the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its members in Kano State. The APC that had painfully become the opposition party in the state courtesy of the outcomes of the 2023 general elections, is gradually and gladly returning to full reckoning in the state with strings of some recent developments.
First, the APC which ruled the state for eight uninterrupted years under able leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has now produced the National Chairman of the party in the person of Dr. Ganduje himself, who has so far, done well in piloting the affairs of the ruling party.
The appointment of Dr Ganduje as the APC National Chairman by the National Executive Committee of the party was widely commended and celebrated by both party faithful and non-members, who posited that the former Governor would deploy his rich records in politics and public service to take the APC to greater heights.
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In Kano State, the appointment was not only hailed and celebrated,it also served as a morale booster for members of the party in the state,whom were still nursing the experiences of the 2023 general elections.
The celebrations had hardly died down when the APC attained yet another feat – it pulled three more seats in the House of Representatives, courtesy of the judgements of the National and State House of Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Kano.
The seats are those of the Tarauni Federal Constituency,Kumbotso Federal Constituency,and that of Kura/Madobi/ Garun Malam.
For the Tarauni Federal Constituency,the tribunal sacked Muktar Yarima of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and member representing the constituency.
In its judgement, the three-member tribunal ruled that the primary school certificate submitted by Yarima to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support his qualifications, was forged.
Yerima was declared winner of the February 25th 2023 election under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hafizu Kawu.
But Kawu, a former member of the House of Representatives, petitioned the tribunal, challenging the legitimacy of Yerima’s victory on the basis of a fake certificate.
Delivering the judgement, the tribunal upheld Kawu’s petition and nullified the sitting NNPP member’s election.
In another judgement, the Election Petitions Tribunal nullified the election of Yusuf Umar Datti,the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate for the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Flora Ngozi Azingbe, voided Yusuf’s election over his failure to resign his lecturing job at Bayero University, Kano, within 30 days before the election.
Justice Azingbe also held that Datti could not convince the tribunal that he is a member of the NNPP.
Following the ruling, Justice Azingbe ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to set aside the certificate of return that had previously been issued to Datti and declared Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the rightful winner of the election.
This was on the strength that Kwankwaso secured the second-highest number of votes during the election held on February 25, 2023.
Similarly, the Tribunal sacked Idris Dankawu of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for forging his West African School Certificate (WAEC) which he submitted for election into the Kumbotso Federal Constituency.
Munir Babba Danagudi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who contested against Dankawu, had filed a petition alleging that Dankawu presented a fraudulent Secondary School Certificate to gain admission into Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Kaduna.
In his judgment, Justice I.P. Chima averred that Idris Dankawu of NNPP forged his WAEC certificate and accordingly voided the election.
The Tribunal, therefore, ordered INEC to set aside the Certificate of Return given to Dankawu and declare Munir Babba Danagudi the winner of the Kumbotso Federal Constituency election held on 25th Feb.
These cheering developments have brought the number of APC’s members of House of Representatives to ten out of the 24 seats for the state, and still counting as members of the party say they are expecting more victories at the tribunal.
The most outstanding and remarkable among the judgements is the one that returned Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso of the APC as the winner of the House of Representatives election for the Kura,Madobi and Garun Malam Federal Constituency.
Musa Iliyasu’s victory is both sweet and remarkable as it happened in the constituency of the NNPP National Leader and Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections,Sen.Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Most of the APC members spoken to in the state, described the party’s victory at the tribunal as “very cheering, soothing, encouraging and a sign of good omen, because we will replicate it at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, as well.”
More tribunal judgements are being expected in the state, including that of the Governorship Election petition, in the coming days, and the APC faithful have every reason to anticipate more victories as the Judges make their pronouncements.
Meanwhile, the victory celebrations continue to intensify, especially in Madobi, Kumbotso and Tarauni.
(Platinum News)
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