Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has approved deployment of four mobile squadron units from the force headquarters to fortify Kano State command ahead of the Supreme Court verdict on the governorship election appeal.
The judgment, which may likely hold between January 12 and 14, has continued to heighten tension of possible breakdown of law and order following unguarded utterances of supporters of both the ruling and opposition parties.
However, the police have reassured the readiness of security agencies to combat any act capable of disrupting the existing peace in the state during and after the ruling.
In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, said the additional reinforcement was to solidify the two mobile squadron units in the ancient city.
Despite the leadership of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) entering a peace accord, the police boss added that the force is not oblivious of activities of unscrupulous elements, who may want to foment crisis in the aftermath of the verdict. He was assured of the police’s non-partisanship in the entire legal tussle.
The Court of Appeal had affirmed the ruling of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that sacked Governor Abba Yusuf of the NNPP and returned APC’s Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as lawfully elected. The appellate court did not only uphold the tribunal’s verdict, but added that Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when he contested the poll.
The three-man panel, led by Justice O. Osadebay, sacked the governor based on 165,663 unsigned illegal votes.
