The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified a previous judgment by the Federal High Court in Kano, affirming the legality of the local government elections held in October 2024.
In a judgment delivered by Justice O. Oyewumi of the Appeal Court, she held that the Federal High Court lacked the legal authority to hear the case in the first place.
She emphasized that jurisdiction was not properly established, rendering the initial ruling invalid.
Consequently, the appellate court sided with the Kano State Government, allowing the appeal and upholding the legitimacy of the October elections.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier approached the Federal High Court to stop the elections, arguing that the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC), Sani Malumfashi, and several commissioners were members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Based on this claim, Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court ruled in favour of the APC and ordered a suspension of the polls.
The order was defied by the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC), which conducted the elections despite the court’s ruling.
Meanwhile, the judgment delivered by Justice Oyewumi set aside the earlier ruling, declaring the lower court’s intervention a clear overreach of its constitutional powers.
