Confusion over INEC’s letter withdrawing from Kano governorship appeal
INEC headquarters denies authorisation, reprimands staff
There is confusion in Kano over a letter by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signifying its stand not to participate in the appeal against the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal judgement sacking Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
It was gathered that a Notice of Appeal was filed on behalf of INEC on October 3 by the law office of Dikko & Mahmoud, the law firm of A.B Mahmood, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The letter seen by Daily Trust on Sunday, dated October 6 and signed by the head of Legal Department, INEC, Kano, Suleiman Alkali, which has since gone viral, said the commission had withdrawn its appeal as it had no reason to appeal any judgement.
The letter, addressed to the secretary of the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal read: “I have been instructed by the commission’s headquarters that INEC as an umpire has no reason to appeal any judgement.
“Consequently, the national commissioner in charge of legal services and the national commissioner in charge of Kano zone directed that the appeal be withdrawn and all processes for all appeals be forwarded to Kano office.”
But reports making the round shortly after the letter emerged indicated that it had been withdrawn by the electoral umpire.
Alkali, however, told Daily Trust on Sunday in a chat that it was the tribunal secretariat that requested the electoral umpire to write the said letter.
“The letter was mischievously requested by the tribunal secretary and I wrote to them for a purpose and they deliberately escalated it. The letter has been withdrawn. It no longer has legal backing,” he noted via a text message.
While the tribunal secretary did not respond to enquiries when he was contacted, officials at the tribunal registry, who asked not to be identified, told our reporter during a visit to the registry on Saturday that the letter was never submitted.
Meanwhile, the INEC national headquarters has denied withdrawing from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case.
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Sam Olumekun in a statement last night said the letter was not authorised.
“We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorised. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.
“The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal,” Olumekun said.This development is coming barely 24 hours after the Kano State governor filed a 42-ground notice of appeal to regain his mandate at the Court of Appeal.
The Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal last month sacked Governor Yusuf and declared his opponent, Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 gubernorship election.