Falana Calls For Review of Court Judgment Sacking Three Governors

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for a reconsideration of the Court of Appeal’s decisions that sacked three state governors.

Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program, Falana, questioned the validity of the judgments that removed Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), duly elected in the March 2023 governorship elections.

The Court of Appeal in a separate judgment removed the governors affiliated with the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said, “If you look at what happened in Lagos is different from what happened in Plateau. You are being told in Plateau that there was a judgment of the High Court to the effect that primaries have to be conducted. The judgment, as usual, was dishonored and disobeyed and the election went on.

“It is different from Kano where you are being told that voters can be punished. It is a very dangerous judicial policy to sanction voters for the mistake of electoral officers.

“We are being told that 165,000 votes are wasted, they are invalid because some electoral officers committed an error by not stamping them. How does that affect the validity of the election?”

He added, “I do hope that this time around, the Supreme Court will resolve these needless controversies surrounding the non-stamping of ballot papers by INEC officials who have not been recommended for any sanction.

“This is why these judgments will have to be reviewed.”

In Kano, the Court of Appeal declared Nasir Gawuna, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, was the victor in the election.

The court of appeal ruled that the Zamfara State poll was inconclusive, directing INEC to organize a new election in three local government areas. In a separate judgment, the appellate court instructed INEC to grant a Certificate of Return to Nentawe Goshwe of the APC in Plateau State.

Kanyi Daily recalls that Femi Falana had said that both the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) should not be from the same geopolitical zone.

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