Appeal Court Breaks Silence On CTC That Countered Its Judgment, Upheld Gov Yusuf’s Victory

The Court of Appeal has maintained the validity of its judgment that removed Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from office, despite the controversy surrounding contradictions in the certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Moore Aseimo Abraham Adumein, a section on Page 68 indicated, “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1st respondent and against the appellant.”

The appellant in the case is Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and the 1st respondent is the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the NNPP as the 2nd and 3rd respondents.

Continuing, the judge declared, “In the circumstances, I resolve all the issues in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent. The sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira only) is hereby awarded as costs in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.”

Responding to the contradictions, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Mohammed Bangari, acknowledged that the inconsistent parts of the judgment were clerical errors. He clarified that clerical errors do not invalidate or alter the findings and conclusions of the court. Bangari assured that the errors would be corrected upon the formal application of the concerned parties, citing Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Handbook, which allows the court to rectify clerical errors.

Contrary to speculation, Bangari emphasized that the court’s judgment remained valid, stating, “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 error and would be done as appropriate.”