Falana, Odinkalu reacts as documents show Appeal Court justices upheld election of Kano Gov in writing, sacked him in speech

There was confusion yesterday after the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Court of Appeal judgment which upheld the sack of Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, emerged.

In the document, it revealed that the majority judgment resolved “all the issues in favour of the appellant, and against the first respondent.”

A cost was even awarded against the respondent. The first respondent here is Nasir Gawuna, candidate of the APC who was affirmed by the election tribunal as winner of the Kano election. While the appellant is the Kano Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, who appealed his sack at the Appeal Court.

In an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, senior lawyer, Femi Falana, said of the document: “You will be surprised if I show you the judgment. To my utter dismay, the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal in Kano, upheld the appeal, set aside the judgment of the lower court in writing and awarded cost in favour of the governor that was removed by the lower court.

“Contrary to the impression that has been given out there, the main judgment of the Court of Appeal has confirmed that the judgment of the court of Appeal is wrong. It upheld the appeal and granted all the reliefs sought by Governor Abba.”

A former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, said the conflicting judgment is another evidence of judicial hijacking.

He said: “When we say the judiciary in #Nigeria is crooked, prople wonder how so. Look: the Court of Appeal in Kano governorship case resolved all the issues ‘in favour of the appellant & against the 1st Respondent.’ Yet it found the appeal lacking in merit & liable to be dismissed. Explain!”