The backlash trailing the outcomes of the Kano State governorship election tribunal judgement and subsequently the Court of Appeal judgement in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the winner of the election, Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), took a new turn as some Awera people in Southwest Nigeria rejected the courts’ judgements.
The Awera people, under the auspices of the Coalition of Awera Communities in Southwest Nigeria, held a rally in Ibadan on Wednesday with the theme ‘Justice for Kano: Abbah is our choice’ to protect in solidarity with the Kano governor and to express their collective views on some pressing issues affecting Kano State and the country.
The coalition seized the opportunity to caution President Bola Tinubu on some of his political decisions and policies that are not favouring Kano State, northern Nigeria, or the country at large.
The coalition advised Tinubu to intervene in the Kano State governorship election matter to ensure peace in the state. They urged the Supreme Court to ensure that justice is done in the best interest of the people of the state.
Shehu Idris, the vice chairman of the Awera Consultative Forum, Oyo State chapter, stressed that the rally aimed at addressing some fundamental issues affecting democracy and the rule of law as they affect the people of northern Nigeria.
He said INEC failed to conduct fair elections in many parts of the country, hence the mammoth cases in election tribunals and the appellate courts after the 2023 elections.
He decried the unfair treatment of northern Nigeria’s electorate and political class, especially those in the opposition camp.
“This is clear from the election cases in Plateau, Zamfara, and Kano. As we all know, these three states are volatile. This perceived daylight robbery and truncation of the will of the people through the courts might not be accepted by the people,” Idris said.
Aisha Ismail, the president of Matan Awera in the Southwest, admonished President Tinubu to be a listening leader and father, to hear the pleas of women and mothers as regards Kano State, and to ensure that Kano people get justice.
She lamented the suffering, the hunger, and the high cost of things in the country, adding that yet the APC-led Federal Government is borrowing and spending so much on unnecessary things.
“When two elephants are fighting, the grasses suffer. So, we want the status quo to be maintained in Kano,” she said.
Ibraham Shuiabu of the Awera Youth Consultative Forum, Ondo State chapter, stated that they did not gather for political reasons but to ensure that the right thing was done for the people of Kano and northern Nigeria.
On the Kano governorship election matter, he expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will redeem the image of the judiciary and not allow its institution to be used by politicians to ignite the country.
Ahmed Sulieman from Lagos; Ufuoma Onemu, a youth leader from Delta State; Ajala Sulieman, a student at the Polytechnic Ibadan; and many others spoke during the rally.
Women and men, young and old, trooped out en masse carrying placards with ‘Justice for Kano’ and other inscriptions on them as they rallied in the streets of Ibadan.
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