TINUBU MEETS GANDUJE, KANO APC LEADER

Read Time:1 Minute, 40 Second

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held closed-door talks with a delegation comprising the leadership of the Kano State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Leading the delegation was the APC Chairman and former Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who arrived at the Villa in the company of his one-time deputy and the party’s candidate in the March 18 governorship election, Nasir Gawuna.

Thursday’s meeting came barely a week after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Gawuna’s main opponent, Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, as the duly elected governor of the state.

Last March, power in the northwestern state shifted from the APC when Gawuna polled 890,705 votes, falling behind Yusuf, who the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the winner with 1,019,602 votes.

However, the APC candidate contested the results in court despite conceding defeat earlier.

Consequently, on November 17, 2023, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal nullified Governor Yusuf’s election.

The appellate court upheld the decision of the Kano governorship election petition tribunal to void the election of Yusuf, upholding the tribunal judgment which declared APC’s Gawuna the winner of the election.

While nullifying Yusuf’s election, the Justice Oluyemi Osadebay-led tribunal declared that 165,663 of his votes were invalid.

Five days later, the NNPP filed its notice of appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

On January 12, the Supreme Court restored Yusuf as the governor of Kano State, nullifying the appeal court judgment that declared Gawuna winner

The agenda of the Thursday meeting was.not made public and those who attended did not speak with State House correspondents.

The NNPP was the fourth contender in the February 2023 presidential election when it fielded former Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former Kano State Governor.

Kwankwaso is considered a leading figure in the NNPP and was instrumental in the emergence of Yusuf as governor.