A’Court grants Abba’s request to parade more witnesses at Kano guber tribunal

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has granted the application of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Kano State, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, to parade eight more witnesses in his quest to invalidate the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as winner of the contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He is currently at the state gubernatorial petitions tribunal, presided over by Justice Halima S. Mohammed, contending that he won the polls on account of the “valid votes” cast.

The panel, however, on July 16 this year declined his application to add eight-star witnesses to his list of observers.

But ruling yesterday on the suit filed on Monday by Abba, Justice Adedotun Adefoke-Okoji, after granting all prayers of the petitioner, insisted that the inclusion of the eight more witnesses already deposed to does not amount to an amendment of the original petition.

Abba’s counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, had sought the leave of the five-panel appellate court to quash the ruling of the lower court.

However, Governor Ganduje is appealing the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Leader of his research legal team, Musa Lawan, yesterday told journalists that his principal had ordered an immediate appeal of the ruling.