APC supporters reject Abba Gida-Gida, storm Kano INEC office

Wednesday, supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) marched to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Kano to protest the election of Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) as governor-elect of Kano.

Protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions, marched through the streets while chanting various songs.

Some suspected thugs attempted to exploit the situation, compelling merchants to suspend business operations for the day.

Yusuf, popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida, ran for office on the New Nigerian Peoples Party platform (NNPP).

He received 1,019,602 votes, while his closest competitor, the APC candidate Nasir Gawuna, received 887,702 votes.

Gawuna stated on Tuesday during a media briefing that INEC should have declared the election inconclusive.

It was evident, according to the APC candidate, that his NNPP opponent did not win on a clean slate.

Umar Haruna Doguwa, chairman of the NNPP in Kano, defended the party’s victory in a statement and accused the Kano State government of launching violent attacks against Kano residents in retaliation for their election loss.

“The people of Kano may recall that a few minutes after the historic declaration, the governor-elect of the NNPP, Engr. Abba K. Yusuf, issued a statement through his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, urging all supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during the celebration of the party’s victory, while I, as the state chairman of the NNPP, was on air in various radio stations calling for a peaceful celebration, which all

“According to credible information obtained by the NNPP, the Kano state government is organizing another outbreak of violence in the name of protest against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security forces working in Kano in response to the APC’s loss in the recently concluded gubernatorial election.

“We therefore call on all security agencies to be proactive as a matter of responsibility, as the Kano state government becomes a raging lion attempting to create another round of political unrest in the state.” (Daily Trust)