Nigeria Could Have Been On Fire Had Supreme Sacked Yusuf As Kano Gov. Galadima
According to Buba Galadima, a prominent member of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), if the Supreme Court had removed Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf from office during its historic rulings last Friday, the nation might have been in a state of emergency.
Galadima also praised APC President Bola Tinubu for standing firm on judicial independence, even if Tinubu’s partymate Nasir Gawuna was entangled in the controversy.
If Friday’s events hadn’t transpired, Nigeria may have been in a state of emergency by now, so I applaud Mr. President for refraining from meddling with the judiciary.
“I applaud his (Tinubu) courage; peace has spread across Nigeria, and our standing in the international community has improved.”
The nation’s highest court set an extremely rare precedent last Friday when it handed down rulings in eight governorship disputes, including three cases where it reversed lower courts’ judgements.
In three of the eight cases, the Supreme Court reversed lower courts’ decisions to reinstate governors in Kano, Zamfara, and Plateau. This move has been largely praised by the opposition NNPP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which are now in power in Kano, Plateau, and Zamfara, respectively.
North-West Nigeria was on edge before Friday’s ruling on the Kano governorship dispute eased it. The state has been the site of fierce competition between APC heavyweights like Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, and ex-Kano governor and current ruling party national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
In March 2023, the electoral umpire declared Yusuf and Kwankwaso’s ally the winners of the NNPP primaries. However, the tribunal and the appellate court later removed Yusuf from office and installed Gawuna of the APC, leading to violent protests in parts of Kano, an ancient city.
Fans of the National People’s Party (NNPP) and the red-capped Kwankwasiyya in Kano were ecstatic when Yusuf went to the highest court in the land to seek justice; last Friday, the justices overturned his dismissal and proclaimed him the legitimately elected governor.
Since the NNPP ousted the APC from office in the most recent election, Galadima said that there was a plot to seize control of the state of Kano from within the party.
Despite praising the Supreme Court for “restoring the honour and dignity of the court,” he claimed that “there was a plan to capture Kano by force from every level.”
“If they had decided differently, they would have faced public censure in Nigeria. No one would have dared to drive a vehicle bearing the emblem of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Faith in the judicial system would have been restored, and I doubt anyone would have ever considered bringing a case to the highest court in Nigeria for a resolution,” the NNPP chieftain remarked.