Appeal Court Reserves Judgment In Kano LG Election Dispute

A special panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in five appeals related to the legal disputes surrounding the 2024 local government elections in Kano State.

Naija News understands that the appeals stem from rulings by the Federal High Court in Kano, which, among other decisions, nullified the composition of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC).

The cases include multiple appeals, one of which, Appeal No. CA/KN/20/2025, was filed by KANSIEC against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and four other respondents. Another, Appeal No. CA/KN/233/2024, was filed by the Kano State House of Assembly and another party, with Aminu Aliyu Tiga and 14 others listed as respondents.

Appeal CA/KN/290/2024 was brought by the Attorney General of Kano State and six others against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and three other parties. Lastly, Appeal CA/KN/291/2024 was filed by KANSIEC and eight others, with the Kano State House of Assembly and six other respondents.

In the appeal marked CA/KN/233/2024, the Kano State House of Assembly and another appellant, represented by Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), urged the appellate court to overturn the Federal High Court’s judgment, which had prohibited KANSIEC from conducting local government elections in the state.

Awomolo argued that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case, stating that the suit filed by Aminu Tiga and the APC was statute-barred at the time of filing.

The case stems from a ruling by Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court on October 22, 2024, which restrained KANSIEC from holding elections in the 44 local government areas of Kano State.

The ruling also declared that the electoral commission’s members were card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), in violation of Sections 197 and 200 of the 1999 Constitution.

Furthermore, the court directed that INEC not release the national voters’ register for the purpose of the local government elections and barred security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, from providing support or protection for the elections.

The Kano State House of Assembly and other affected parties, dissatisfied with the ruling, appealed to the Court of Appeal, arguing that local government election matters fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the state. They contended that such cases should be adjudicated by the Kano State High Court, not the Federal High Court.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the three-member appellate panel, led by Justice Georgewill Ekanem, announced that judgment in the case would be reserved.

The panel indicated that the judgment would be delivered at a later date, which would be communicated to all parties involved in the case.