Security tightened in Abuja as Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Cross River governors know fate today

Supreme Court Judgment Day: Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Cross River governors know fate today

Security has been beefed up around the Supreme Court of Nigeria Complex in the three arms zones of Abuja ahead of the judgment in the Kano governorship election appeal.

The apex court will also deliver judgment in Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Cross River governorship elections.

The court begins sitting by 9:00 a.m.

Judgments in the Kano and Plateau appeals are the most anticipated because the lower courts had sacked the incumbent governors.

Around 7:15 a.m. on Friday, heavy security had already been built around the area, possibly to ensure hitch-free proceedings.

Security operatives from regular and plain-clothed police units have been deployed to the court’s main entrance to block unauthorised movements of humans and vehicles into the complex premises.

Though only lawyers and parties involved were permitted, hundreds of parties’ supporters could be seen trying to gain access to the premises.

Journalists, at the time of filing this report, had difficulty finding their way into the court premises.

Governor Abba Yusuf and his party, NNPP, had filed an appeal against the appellate court’s judgement, which affirmed his sacking earlier pronounced by the Kano governorship election petitions tribunal.

The tribunal sacked Mr Yusuf and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw his certificate of return and declare Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, the All Progressives Congress candidate, as the winner.

Mr Yusuf appealed the judgment.

But the appellate court, while affirming his sack, held that the governor was not a member of NNPP as of the time of the election and could not have been said to have been properly sponsored for the election.

(NAN)