Kano: We Won Fair and Square, NNPP Tells APC As Tension Rises

The New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPC says it will be useless for the All Progressives Congress, APC, to go to court to challenge its victory.

The party said in the aftermath of its declaration as the winner of the March 18 governorship election, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that it defeated the ruling party in the keenly contested election.

It said the APC must accept defeat after it had been roundly rejected by the people of the state.

The electoral umpire declared Abba Kabir Yusuf of the NNPP winner of the election after polling 1,019,602 votes against his closest rival, APC’s candidate, Nasir Gawuna, who polled 890,705 votes.

The state has witnessed massive protests from the APC, which claimed irregularities since the results were declared.

On Wednesday, supporters of the ruling party staged a protest at the INEC office in the state’s capital.

The APC has also disclosed that it will go to court to challenge the result.

Responding NNPP spokesperson,  Presidential Campaign Council, Abubakar Yesufu, said the legal challenge will end in futility, as the will of the people of the state cannot be overturned.

The NNPP spokesman made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement said ”The move by APC to challenge the Kano gubernatorial result is escapist, futile and an attempt to cover the shameless and disastrous outing of Mallam Yusuf Gawuna and his collaborators at last Saturday’s gubernatorial poll in Kano State.

“We commend the Governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf for this deserved victory. We hereby admonish Yusuf Gawuna to be a sportsman by congratulating the winner. Despite the strong-arm tactics employed to muzzle him with over 1,200 million votes and 890 fictitious votes procured by Gawuna through questionable means, our candidate won.

“The contest was indeed a contest between the powerful but unpopular Mallam Yusuf Gawuna, current Deputy Governor, and a powerless but popular Abba Kabir Yusuf of the NNPP.

“It was a triumph of a people over an evil regime. At this juncture, we commend, the Returning Officer, Prof. Doko Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, for being steadfast, refusing compromise and insisting on justice and truth.

“As we celebrate Abba Kabir Yusuf, we are humbled by the confidence reposed on the party and its Kwankwasiya Movement. We are also solemn on the arson and killing of innocent souls in the bid to hang on to an anti-people administration.”

Meanwhile, not a few Nigerians have urged the APC to dissuade its supporters who are angry with the outcome of the governorship election from causing violence in Nigeria’s biggest commercial city.

Throwing the state into pandemonium is not what is needed at this time, according to those monitoring what is going on in the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje-led state.