A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Ilyasu Musa Kwankwaso, has called on the embattled governor of the state, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, to honourably accept defeat and accede to the verdict of the Appeal Court in Abuja, which affirmed Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as the rightful winner of the March 18 governorship election in the State.
He cautioned Governor Yusuf against approaching the Supreme Court having lost at the Election Petitions Tribunal and the appellate court levels.
Kwankwaso, a former Commissioner for Rural and Community Development in the State, made the call on Friday while reacting to the verdict delivered by the Court of Appeal on the disputed Kano State governorship election.
“It would be another mission impossible for him to drag the case to Supreme Court going by the available evidence that nailed him at both Tribunal and the Appeal Court, respectively, hence, the need for him to go and rest till 2027,” he stated.
He further hailed the victory of the APC governorship candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, describing his affirmation as governor-elect of the State as a triumph of democracy and rule of law.
Kwankwaso said Governor Yusuf ought to have accepted the ruling of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in good faith, saying it was sad that he went ahead to waste the meager resources of the state at the Appeal Court.
He noted that now that the Appeal Court has also nullified his electoral victory, it was better for him to settle down and prepare to re-contest in 2027 under a viable political party.
“Governor Yusuf supposed to have read the hand writing on the wall, by analysing the various evidences used by the Tribunal to sack him,” adding that those evidence were convincing that it would be very difficult for any court to neglect.
Kwankwaso added: “As a brother, I am using this medium to advise him to shelve any move to drag his defeat to the Supreme Court. He should just accept that this is not the time for him to be the governor of the state.”