The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has characterized Friday’s Court of Appeal judgment as both mischievous and grounded in the misconception that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP,Daily Trust reports.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the acting national chairman of the NNPP, Malam Abba Kawu Ali, expressed the party’s dismay over the court’s decision, considering it a surprising development.
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, upheld on Friday the tribunal’s judgment that declared Nasiru Gawuna, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the winner of the March 2023 governorship election.
Despite this setback, Ali maintained that when the Kano tribunal overturned Yusuf’s election a few weeks ago, the party retained confidence in the judiciary’s credibility and anticipated corrections for any tribunal errors.
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Ali emphasized, “Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was, and remains, a bona fide card-carrying member of the NNPP. Any assertion to the contrary is merely the product of the imagination of mischief-makers.” He pointed out the impracticality of Yusuf participating in the election without the INEC portal accepting submission forms lacking the NNPP membership card, which is an integral part of the nomination process.
He concluded by asserting that, for the NNPP and likely for INEC, the candidate’s membership is a non-issue, as the nomination system ensures that only registered members can be nominated and uploaded onto the portal.
