TheCable

The Kano state governorship election petition tribunal has fixed Wednesday, September 20, to deliver judgment in the case filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against Abba Yusuf,  governor of the state.

The tribunal announced the date in a hearing notice issued to parties in the suit on Monday.

Yusuf, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), was declared the winner of the March 11 governorship poll.

He polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat his close rival, Yusuf Gawuna of the APC, who got 890,705 votes.

Not satisfied with the outcome of the election, Ganuwa and his party filed a petition to challenge Yusuf’s victory.

There has been tension in the state since the tribunal reserved judgment as members of the NNPP have organised prayers to ask God for help.

During a prayer session organised by supporters of the ruling NNPP on Thursday, Adamu Aliyu, who was at the time the commissioner for land in Kano, issued a threat to the judges of the governorship election petition tribunal.

Aliyu said any judge who decides to receive a bribe would have to pay with his or her life.

In a viral video in which he spoke in Hausa language, the commissioner also threatened anyone who tried to contend for the governorship position with death.

“I would like to pass this message to the tribunal judges, any judge that allows himself to be used and collects bribes to pass judgment that is not right, we want to tell him he must choose between his life or the money he collected,” Aliyu said.

“We are promising you (our supporters), we are receiving your complaints, the votes you cast for his excellency (Abba Yusuf) will not go in vain even if it means us losing our lives.

“I also want to pass this message to our leaders. You have seen the crisis in Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina and other states, I swear because of this governorship seat, everyone will die.

“The crisis that will start in Kano will be more deadly than the one in other states, even Borno too.”

He has since been relieved of his portfolio by the state governor over what he described as “unguarded utterances”.

In August, Flora Azinge, chairperson of the election petitions tribunal in Kano, raised the alarm over an alleged attempt by some lawyers to compromise the integrity of judges on her panel.