The Abuja Court of Appeal has reversed a decision made by the Federal High Court in Kano, which previously suspended the local government elections in the state. The appellate court ruled that the lower court was not authorized to handle the case, allowing the elections to proceed.
The appellate court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Oyewumi on Friday, ruled that the Federal High Court exceeded its constitutional authority by intervening in issues related to the conduct of local government elections, a responsibility solely within the jurisdiction of state authorities.
With this ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal filed by the Kano State Government, effectively nullifying the previous judgment and affirming the legality of the local government elections held in the state.
In the suit, the plaintiffs sought to stop the scheduled LG elections, alleging that the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawal Malumfashi, alongside some commissioners, were card-carrying members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), thereby compromising the neutrality of the electoral body.