By Milcah Tanimu

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, returned to the state from Abuja following the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming his victory in the polls. The governor, welcomed by a massive crowd of supporters on Sunday, expressed gratitude for the warm reception in Kano.

Upon his return, the streets were filled with enthusiastic supporters celebrating his legal triumph. Governor Yusuf took to the X platform on Monday to express his appreciation to the people of Kano. He noted that the love and solidarity demonstrated by the crowd would be etched in his memory for years to come.

In his statement, Governor Yusuf promised to repay the trust and confidence the people have placed in him by working for the welfare of the state. He acknowledged the significant task ahead and emphasized that the overwhelming support from the people would not be taken for granted.

“The resounding love and long march of solidarity that greeted my arrival in Kano yesterday, after Friday’s Supreme Court verdict is one that will reverberate across many years. As I stated, this serves as a great reminder about the task before us of repaying the confidence that the good people of Kano have in our leadership. We shall not take it for granted,” Governor Yusuf wrote.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment on Friday, affirmed Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the duly elected Governor of Kano State. Justice John Okoro, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that the lower court was wrong in deducting 165,616 votes from Governor Yusuf’s total votes. The Supreme Court noted that the allegation that these ballot papers were not from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not proven. The court emphasized that, according to section 63(1) of the Electoral Act, before declaring a ballot paper invalid, it must be proven that it was not given to the presiding officer.