Judges under fire for sacking Kano governor

Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has expressed his disagreement with the decision made by the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to nullify the victory of Governor Abba Yusuf. Speaking on Channels TV on Friday, Falana argued that the tribunal’s decision to invalidate 165,000 votes due to a lack of stamping was inappropriate. He believed that the judges should not penalize the voters for mistakes made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Falana stated, “You cannot punish voters for the errors of INEC. That was what recently happened in Kano, where 165,000 votes were said to have not been marked by INEC officials.”

He went on to emphasize the need for judges to uphold justice and substantial justice, asserting that voters should not be held responsible for INEC’s errors. He also highlighted the importance of not challenging the validity of the ballot papers, and he called on judges to revisit these aspects of the judicial process.