Police in Kano and Sokoto States have been placed on red alert ahead of today’s judgment by the Supreme Court in the appeals against the election of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal.
The New Diplomat investigations showed that the police high command in the two states had evolved plans to prevent any breakdown of law and order arising from possible protests by aggrieved parties not favoured by the judgments.
In the election disputes, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is challenging the victory of Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in March 9, 2019 governorship election in Sokoto State, which was concluded with a re-run on March 23.
The election of Ganduje of the APC in Kano State is being challenged by Alhaji Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the PDP
The apex court had last Tuesday fixed judgment in the two appeals after listening to the submissions of counsel to all parties in their respective appeals.
Today’s judgments have triggered concerns in not just in Kano and Sokoto States, but the entire country, particularly with the shocking decision of the Supreme Court last week, which sacked PDP and Imo State Governor, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
The Supreme Court in the unanimous judgment had set aside the concurrent decisions of the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, when it held that candidate of the APC, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and not Ihedioha, won majority of the votes cast in the March 9 governorship election in Imo State.
Following this decision, there is heightened tension in Kano State that the election of Ganduje may be upturned as the appellants are challenging the powers of the state returning officer to cancel elections in some wards and conduct a bye-election thereafter.
The sacking of Ihedioha by the apex court last Tuesday has created apprehension in Kano and Sokoto states.
Also, the allegation by the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, that the presidency was pressurising the Supreme Court to rule in favour of the APC in its appeals challenging Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa and Benue governorship elections has also heightened anxiety in the two states.
