INEC denies withdrawal notice on Kano guber Appeal, says legal secretary misled

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is said to have retracted the withdrawal of its appeal in the Kano State gubernatorial election petition judgement.

It was learnt on Saturday that INEC had withdrawn its initial letter signifying its withdrawal from the appeal against the judgement of the Tribunal.

In a letter signed by the head of the commission’s legal department in Kano, Suleiman Alkali, on Friday, it said it withdrew its appeal as it had no reason to do so.

The letter, which was addressed to the secretary of the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, partly read: “I have been instructed by the commission headquarters that INEC as an umpire have no reason to appeal any judgment.

“Consequently, the National Commissioner in charge of Legal Services and National Commissioner in charge of Kano zone directed that the appeal be withdrawn and all processes for all Appeals should be forwarded to the Kano Office.”

However, Alkali has said the letter written to the Tribunal has been withdrawn.

A government official told newsmen that when Alkali was confronted by some of the counsel representing INEC in the matter, he claimed to have been misled into writing the letter. He also tendered his apology for his “mistakes”.

He, however, did not reveal who misled him. He said he withdrew the letter within 40 minutes of submitting it to the Tribunal but was surprised that it found its way into the media.

According to him, some authorities wanted to use him as scapegoat and he had already been awoken to the reality that it was a very sensitive issue.

Recall that the three-man Tribunal panel, on September 20, sacked Governor Abba Yusuf and declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Nasiru Gawuna, winner of the March 18 governorship poll.

Newsmen were shown a copy of the Notice of Appeal filed on behalf of INEC by the law office of Dikko & Mahmood on the 3rd day of October, which is said to still be subsisting, indicating that the appeal is still alive