Again, Conflicting Court Judgments Threaten Kano’s Peace

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

In a move seen by not a few as further  signposting the huge joke which Nigerian Judiciary has become ,a Kano state High Court on Friday October 25, 2024, granted an  order mandating the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KANSIEC, to go ahead with  the October 26, scheduled Local Council Polls.

This is coming on the heels of last Tuesday’s verdict by a Federal High Court Kano halting the election.

The Source reports that Justice Simon Amobade of a Federal Court sitting in Kano, while ruling in a motion filed by a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, declared the Prof Sani Malumfashi- led electoral body as illegal ,and ineligible to conduct the elections .

The Court, apart from declaring that members of the Commission are card carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP in the state, also held that they were not statutorily qualified for their various appointments going by the provisions of extant laws.

The Court, therefore, ordered their sack,and the suspension of the election pending the reconstitution of the electoral Commission.

But rather than appealing the verdict, at  a higher court, KANSIEC and the Kano State decided to approach a Court of same and equal jurisdiction for a reversal,and reprieve.

Justice Sanusi Ma’aji while ruling in an application filed by  KANSIEC, however, declared that the electoral umpire has the legal right to conduct elections in all the 484 Wards and 44 Local Governments of Kano State.

To this end, he held that any attempts to interfere with this legally recognized functions of the electoral umpire are null, void, and of no effect whatsoever.

Instructively, security agencies, particularly, the Police which were barred from participating in the  October 26 election by Justice Amobade of the Federal Court, were on Friday ordered by Justice Ma’aji, to provide all the necessary security measures needed for the polls.

Friday’s Kano High Court’s Judgment came barely less than 24 hours after  the Kano State Governor had vowed to go ahead with the polls despite the Federal High Court order to the contrary.

As at the time of reporting, it was not clear which of the two conflicting rulings security agencies will obey .