Adewale Ajayi,
There is heavy presence of security personnel at the Supreme Court this morning as security is beefed around the Supreme Court of Nigeria Complex in the three arms zones of Abuja ahead of the judgment in the Kano State governorship election appeal.
The apex court will also deliver judgment on governorship elections in Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Cross River.
The court begins sitting by 9a.m.
The Judgments in Kano and Plateau appeals are the most anticipated, because the lower courts had sacked the incumbent governors.
Report have it that as early as 7:15 am on Friday there has been heavy security built around the area possibly to ensure a hitch-free proceedings.
It was observed that security operatives from regular and plain-clothed police units were deployed to the Court’s main entrance to block unauthorised movements of humans and vehicles into the complex premises.
Only lawyers and parties involved in the matter were permitted to gain entrance into the apex court, while hundreds of supporters of the parties were seen trying to gain access to the premises.
Journalists were also having difficulty finding their way into the court premises.
Kano state governor, AbbaYusuf, and his party NNPP, had filed an appeal against the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed his sacking by the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The tribunal had sacked Yusuf and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw certificate of return issued to him and instead issue the certificate to Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18, 2023 governorship election.
Yusuf however, challenged the Tribunal judgment, at the Court of Appeal, but the appellate court also affirmed his sack,and further held that the governor was not a member of the NNPP as of the time he stood for the governorship election and could not have been said to have been properly sponsored for the election.