Police officers attack journalists at Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal

In an unfortunate incident on Wednesday, Nigerian police officers assaulted journalists covering the proceedings of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Court.

The tribunal is poised to announce its judgment regarding a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the victory of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Reported by Daily Trust, the altercation between the journalists and the police began when the officers requested them to move approximately 10 meters away from the Court premises. During this interaction, some police personnel accused the journalists of taking pictures, leading to a physical confrontation.

While some officers went after the BBC reporter in an attempt to seize his phone, others forcibly took the Daily Trust reporter’s phone, causing damage to the screen.

Meanwhile, the anticipation of the tribunal’s judgment has heightened tension in the state, prompting both parties to organize prayers seeking divine intervention.

The expectation of the judgment has also resulted in the removal of a commissioner who had issued death threats to the tribunal judges.

It is noteworthy that during the final written address submissions, the respondents in the petition—Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Yusuf, and NNPP—urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition. Conversely, the APC called on the tribunal to uphold the petition and declare Nasir Gawuna as the winner of the election.

Offiong Offiong (SAN), counsel to the APC, argued that the evidence presented by the petitioner demonstrated that Governor Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP before the election, rendering his election invalid. He further contended that the respondents could not refute the deficiencies in some of the over 130,000 ballot papers used to declare Yusuf as the winner. If these deficiencies were accounted for, Offiong believed his client would emerge as the rightful winner of the March 28 election.