The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has expressed optimism that it will get back its mandate which was invalidated by the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, September 20.
The acting deputy National Chairman of the party, Prince Nwaeze Onu, while briefing the press at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, assured that NNPP will get back its mandate which was freely given to its party candidate and Kano State governor, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, during the March 18, 2023 governorship poll. He however said the party will pursue all legal means within the ambit of the law and in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said the judgement of the tribunal clearly showed democracy in Nigeria is under serious threat and called for an urgent and concerted effort to save it from total annihilation.
He said it would be hard to convince any sane Nigerians that in a state where the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso defeated the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu by a wide margin, won two senatorial seats against APC’s one, won 18 House of Representatives seats against APC’s 4 and majority seats in the Kano State House of Assembly would now lose the governorship election where NNPP enjoys wide acceptability.
“It is going to be a hard nut to crack for the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal to convince a non-partisan Nigeria that in an election cycle with five different polls, (presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship and House of Assembly) the NNPP won in all except the governorship election.
“For the sake of emphasis, the NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, defeated the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a wide margin. In the same vein, NNPP won two senatorial seats as against APC’s one seat. NNPP won 18 House of Representatives seats against APC’s four and in the House of Assembly, NNPP won a clear majority of seats as against APC’s meagre number of seats it won. And yet the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal believes it was overvoting that NNPP majority votes in the governorship election.
“The democratic system in Nigeria must follow due process and the rule of law. Due process must be followed so that democracy will not be under any threat. Everyone knows that there is a procedure to follow in a democracy.
“We wish to state emphatically that although the judgement was a clear and deliberate miscarriage of justice and therefore a disappointment, our faith in the judiciary remains unshaken. Every discerning person knows that NNPP won in all the elections in Kano State. The APC knew right from the very beginning that it was hugely unpopular in Kano State which led it to declare total war on the people of the state during the last election. We call on the judiciary to do the needful. We look forward to a more impartial judgement in the next round of litigation.”
. TheWitness
