Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, has said the appeal court ruling which upheld judgement of the election petitions tribunal sacking Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, was a rude shock to the party.

Mr Aniebonam, while reacting via a statement to the appellate court’s ruling on Friday, said that only the party could determine who its members are and not the court.

“Again it’s a rude shock to me hearing the verdict of the appeal court in Abuja against the governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf of the NNPP. I do know that it is only the NNPP and its members that can determine who is a member of the party.

“I also know that a party and its members can bring into the party and grant such a person a waiver to go into an election and represent the party in an election. I also know and believe that it is only someone who contested nomination under NNPP that can challenge the membership of the party in an election. To the contrary, no other person has the right to raise an objection,” Aniebonam said in a statement on Saturday.

He, however, said that the NNPP still believed that justice would not only be done but seen to have been done.

Mr Aniebonam said: “Our hope is alive ahead of the Supreme Court judgment in due time. I hereby encourage all members of our great party and indeed indigenes of Kano in particular to keep faith with the final decision of God under this avoidable circumstance.”

Recall that in a judgment on Friday, the appeal court sitting in Abuja upheld the decision of the state election petitions tribunal which sacked Yusuf earlier in September.

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, held that Yusuf was not a valid candidate in the governorship election held in the state on March 18.

The justices stated that a proof of evidence that was tendered before the court established that the governor was not a member of the NNPP as of the time the election was held.

“Sponsorship without membership is like putting something on nothing,” the appellate court held in its lead judgment delivered by Justice M. U. Adumeh.

Consequently, the appellate court declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship poll.

(NAN)