The police have deployed 3,000 operatives to strengthen security in Kano State as the governorship election petitions tribunal delivers its judgment today.

The Guardian yesterday observed an uneasy calm within the Kano metropolis while at the Kano Government House and the Miller Road, the headquarters of the Kwankwasiyya movement, heavy activities were going on.

Heavily armed security operatives were stationed around Murtala Mohammad Way, Hadieja Road, Ahmadu Bello Road, State Road and other major routes within the city. They were subjecting motorists to thorough scrutiny, apparently to maintain law and order.

Confirming the level of security in a telephone interview, Police Public Relations DSP Abdullahi Haruna, said that all the command’s units had been issued signals to be on the alert.

Haruna noted that the directive restricting political rallies and all forms of gathering in the state was still in place. He warned that no act of lawlessness would be tolerated as the tribunal holds its last sitting.

Abba Kabiru Yusuf, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is challenging the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the winner of the March 23, 2019 governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ganduje winner with 1,033,695 votes against Abba who scored 1,024,713 in the rerun election.

INEC cancelled the 9th March elections in 207 polling units in 28 local government areas of the state citing violence and over-voting and ordered a rerun.

But Abba and PDP (petitioners) insisted INEC unlawfully cancelled the 9th March 2019 election where its candidate (Abba) already won the lawful votes with the margin of 26,655 votes.

In their counter-reactions, however, INEC and Ganduje urged the court to dismiss PDP’s and Abba’s petition for lack of substance.

The ruling of the three judges of the tribunal led by Justice Mohammad Halima Shamaki will put to rest the three months’ legal battle between Governor Ganduje and Kwankwasiyya’s proxy Abba. (The Guardian)

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