A coalition of youths drawn from various political parties yesterday rose from an emergency meeting in Abuja with a call on the judiciary to resist ongoing efforts by antidemocratic forces to influence the outcome of the Supreme Court decision on the tussle for the governorship seat of Kano State.

The group under the aegis of Nigerian Youths in Politics (NYP) at a press conference addressed by Comrade Magaji Alidu frowned at the harasment of the judiciary over the outcome of the Court of Appeal judgement that affirmed the sacking of Governor Abba Yusuf by the Kano governorship election petition tribunal

The group urged political actors involved in the tussle for the governorship seat of Kano state to be mindful of the fact that the judiciary is a sacred institution that must not be undermined.

The group particularly called for the stoppage of the negative campaign being championed by persons believed to be working in cahoots with the Governor Yusuf led New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the interest of the rule of law and democracy.

They noted: “As young people in politics, we shall continue to encourage the judiciary not to be intimidated by the sponsored blackmail against it, the larger population of Nigerians are happy with the judgments been delivered so far and are proud of the commitment of the judiciary to ensure even democracy in the country.

“The Supreme Court is their target, they are castigating the Appeal Court Justices to blackmail the Hon Justices of the Supreme Court to subvert justice. Democracy has come of age and the judiciary is not cash and carry as the Attorney General of Kano State portrays.”

Justifying their position, they added: “We have studied with kin interest, the Appeal Court judgment which affirmed the sacking of Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Governor of Kano State and the subsequent declaration of Dr. Nasir Gawuna as the duly elected Governor of the State.

“Contrary to the ongoing bastardisationof of the Nigerian judiciary by some aggrieved persons who lost at the tribunal and the Appeal Court as a result on non-compliance with the electoral Act 2022 as amended.

“We wish to state that the court did not act ultra vires when it held that Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as of the time the party sponsored him as the governorship candidate of Kano State.

“Abba Kabir Yusuf and his party took for granted a very important aspect of the electoral process and must be punished for their negligence.

“We agree that the tribunal actually strengthened democracy by deducting the uncertified ballot papers which were neither signed or stamped by the electoral officers presiding during the poll as stipulated by law. The electoral act 2022 as amended in article 63 sub section 2 captured it clearly.

“Section 177 sub- section c of the 1999 constitution as amended states that one must be a registered member of a political party and be sponsored by the same political party to be qualify to contest for the office of a Governor of a State.

“This is to show that those who jump from one political party to the other in a bid to secure tickets must also be careful because there is a judicial jurisprudence to that effect. The case of Abba Yusuf is not the first neither will it be the last.

” In the case of Sen. Hope Uzodinma vs Uche Nwosu, the Supreme Court had established a precedence on membership of political party and the sponsorship of a candidate.

“Therefore, believing that by blackmailing the judiciary may lead to subversion of justice is actually not true. The Supreme Court is a constitutional court which deals primarily at point of law.

“The Attorney General of Kano State who is a lawyer also joined in the bastardization of the image of the Hon Justices who delivered judgment of the Kano State governorship appeal. Such action is highly unprofessional and required immediate sanction by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), in order to retain the integrity of the legal profession.”

They thereby demanded an immediate apology from the Kano State Government and the leadership of the NNPP for acting too far in lambasting the judiciary because the judgement of the Court of Appeal did not go in their favour.