Umar Bangari, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, has addressed the uproar surrounding the recent judgment on the Kano Governorship Election dispute, clarifying that the discrepancies in the judgment were typographical errors and did not invalidate the court’s findings.
In response to the controversy, Bangari explained that the error identified within the judgment did not alter the court’s ultimate conclusions. He reassured the public that once formal applications are submitted by the involved parties, the court would rectify the error as allowed by Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Handbook, granting authority for clerical corrections.
Contrary to speculations suggesting otherwise, Bangari emphasized the validity of the court’s judgment in question.
The judgment in focus upheld the decision of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, nullifying the election victory of Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the March 18 Governorship Election.
Recent weeks witnessed the Court of Appeal overturning election outcomes of three governors, all from opposition parties, declared winners by INEC in the March 2023 polls. Among them, Governor Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara had his victory declared inconclusive, leading to a court-ordered fresh election in specific areas of the state where PDP’s Lawal and APC’s Bello Matawalle are key contenders.
Additionally, the appellate court’s ruling resulted in the removal of PDP’s Caleb Mutfwang in Plateau State, directing INEC to issue a Certificate of Return to APC’s Nentawe Goshwe. The court highlighted the party’s failure to comply with the court order mandating a valid congress across the state’s 17 local government areas.
