Appeal Court Clarifies Kano Judgment Controversy, Cites Typo Error

Abuja, Nigeria- The Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Bangari, has addressed the controversies surrounding the judgment delivered by the court on the Kano Governorship Election dispute.

There had been several interpretations of the judgment due to a discrepancy between what was orally presented in the open court and the contents of the Certified True Copy of the judgment.

At the open court, the three-member panel led by M. A. Adumein upheld the judgment of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which resulted in the removal of Governor Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party. However, in the concluding part of the Certified True Copy (CTC), it was stated that the matter was resolved against the APC and its candidate.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, accused the Court of Appeal of altering the judgment after the judges had concluded deliberations on the matter.

In response to the controversies, Bangari, in a released statement, explained that the discrepancy in the Certified True Copy of the judgment was a result of a clerical error.

“What happened in the part of the judgment is just a mere clerical error that ought not to draw any issue. The court is empowered to correct such clerical errors and would be done as appropriate. The clerical error would be rectified once parties in the matter file formal application to that effect.”

He cited Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Handbook which empowered the court to correct any clerical error once detected by the court or any of the parties in the matter. He insisted that contrary to insinuations, the judgment of the court remained valid.