The Kano state governorship election appeal tribunal has set Wednesday, September 20, as the date for its decision in the case filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the state’s governor, Abba Yusuf.
The date was disclosed by the tribunal in a hearing notice sent to the suit’s parties on Monday.
Yusuf, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, was proclaimed the winner of the March 11 governorship election. He received 1,019,602 votes, defeating APC candidate Yusuf Gawuna, who received 890,705 votes.
Ganuwa and his party filed a petition to overturn Yusuf’s election victory because they were dissatisfied with the results. Since the tribunal withheld its decision, there has been tension in the state, as members of the NNPP have organized prayers to beseech God for assistance.
Adamu Aliyu, the commissioner for land in Kano at the time, issued a threat to the judges of the governorship election petition tribunal during a prayer session organized by supporters of the ruling NNPP on Thursday.
Any judge who accepts a bribe, according to Aliyu, will pay with his or her life.
In a viral video in which he talked in Hausa, the commissioner allegedly threatened anyone who wanted to run for governor 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 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.”
The state governor has since removed him from his job due to what he described as “unguarded utterances.”
Flora Azinge, the chairperson of Kano’s electoral petitions tribunal, raised the alarm in August about an alleged attempt by some lawyers to undermine the credibility of judges on her panel.
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