Olumide Akpata, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to address the reported disparity between the judgment pronounced in the court and the Certified True Copy (CTC) obtained from the court registry in the Kano State governorship election appeal.
In a statement on Friday, Akpata expressed worry about the flawed recruitment process for Justices of the Appeal Court, highlighting instances where some candidates lacked basic legal knowledge. He emphasized that such shortcomings could have detrimental effects on the future of the judiciary and the country.
Akpata described the reported discrepancy in the Kano election appeal judgment as “bizarre” and asserted that it has deepened the crisis within the Nigerian judiciary, leading to perplexing judgments. He said, “This rather bizarre incident has further accentuated the crisis in the Nigerian Judiciary, which is exacerbated by the many confounding decisions emanating from our courts that continue to bewilder and befuddle observers of this once-revered arm of government.”
The former NBA President criticized the Chief Registrar of the Appeal Court, Umar Bangari, who attributed the discrepancy to a clerical error. Akpata argued that the Chief Registrar’s approach to the matter is untenable and does not align with existing laws on the subject.
While acknowledging the possibility of human fallibility and mistakes, Akpata expressed skepticism about accepting the explanation of a clerical error without further clarification. The Kano State Gubernatorial Petition Appeal has generated confusion in the state, with supporters of political parties protesting the contradictory verdict and the Certified True Copy, leading to demonstrations across major parts of the state.
In the initial tribunal judgment, the election of Governor Abba Yusuf was nullified, declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid due to unsigned and unstamped ballot papers. The Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the tribunal’s judgment last week, declaring the All Progressive Congress candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the governorship election. However, the contradiction in the verdict and the Certified True Copy has sparked unrest among political party supporters in Kano.