Supreme Court Judgement: Kano Gov Yusuf Speaks on Striking Deal With President Tinubu

• Kano Governor Abba Yusuf has cleared the air regarding his victory recorded at the Supreme Court
• Yusuf described as false, the reports that he struck a deal with President Tinubu which influenced the apex court’s favourable judgment on the Kano election dispute
• The governor made this known following speculations that part of the agreement between Yusuf and Rabiu Kwankwaso was to dump the NNPP and defect to the APC

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements

Kano state – Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has denied striking any deal with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before the January 12 Supreme Court judgment on the Kano governorship election petition, which restored his mandate.

Recall that Governor Yusuf was among the governors who emerged victorious at the Supreme Court in Abuja on Friday, January 12, 2024.

The apex court upheld the election of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate as the governor of Kano state on Friday, January 12, 2024.

But recent reports among members of the public, especially the opposition party, indicate that a deal was struck with the governor, which influenced his emergence as the winner of the Supreme Court judgement, Daily Trust reported.

It was also believed that the recent visit of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was a symbolic move to cement the agreement between the APC and the governor.

Similarly, a widely circulated document making rounds in social media insinuates that the purported agreement reached between the two parties includes the governor’s defection to the APC.

Reacting to the development on Monday, January 29, Governor Yusuf, in a statement issued and signed by his spokesman, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, described the “document as an imaginary piece, devoid of all iota of truth.”

The governor, however, expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for “allowing the level playing ground for justice to prevail through non-interference with the judicial process,” Leadership report added.

Kano, Plateau judgements: APC struck deal with opposition?

Meanwhile, the ruling APC has said there was no trade-off between the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the Supreme Court judgement which reversed the sack of governors Yusuf (Kano) and Mutfwang (Plateau).

Nze Chidi Duru, APC’s deputy national organising secretary, said Yusuf and Mutfwang’s electoral victories were fairly affirmed by the Supreme Court, adding that there was no interference from President Bola Tinubu.

He stated that Tinubu, although a key member of the APC, has maintained a non-partisan disposition and is a father of all.

Tinubu asks Ganduje to end feud with Kwankwaso

Legit.ng reported earlier that President Tinubu urged Ganduje to mend relations with Senator Kwankwaso and others willing to align with the APC.

The plea was made in a meeting with Kano APC stakeholders shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed Abba Yusuf as the bonafide governor of Kano state.

Source: Legit.ng