The Court of Appeal has overturned a Federal High Court judgment from Kano, nullifying the composition of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC) and invalidating the local government election it conducted on October 26, 2024.
In three unanimous rulings on Friday, a three-member panel led by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill ruled that the Federal High Court did not have jurisdiction to hear cases concerning the composition of state electoral bodies or the qualifications of their members.
The Court of Appeal allowed appeals filed by the Kano State Attorney General, the Kano State House of Assembly, and KASIEC, dismissing the original suits at the Federal High Court for lack of jurisdiction. It stated that the proper forum for such matters is the High Court of Kano State.
Additionally, in a fourth judgment the same day, the Court of Appeal overturned another Federal High Court ruling that had rejected the list of candidates submitted by the Musa Kwakwanso faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for the recent local government elections in Kano.
The appellate court held that disputes over party leadership and candidate nominations—central to this case—are outside the jurisdiction of the court and not subject to judicial determination.
These rulings reinforce jurisdictional boundaries regarding electoral and party leadership matters within Kano State.
