The Nigerians holding signs protested what they claimed was intervention at the tribunal on the part of the All Progressive Congress (APC), which is led by Abdullahi Ganduje.
To emphasize their demands for an unbiased and apolitical court system that would be fair to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) government in Kano State, the demonstrators held a variety of placards.
To demand justice and fairness from the APC, the protestors gathered outside the Nigerian embassy in London while waving placards.
The messages on the placards included, among other things, “Kano must not be robbed, Tinubu should allow Justice to prevail in Kano,” “Kano People’s Mandate Must be Allowed, No More Unjust Rulings,” and “Abba’s Mandate must not be stolen.”
Others said things like, “Keep Politics Out of Our Courts—the Kano Election Tribunal was compromised!,” “Tribunal Neutrality Is Non-Negotiable,” and “Election Tribunals Must Be Just and Fair—the Kano case Must Not Be An Exception.” Justice should be served to the Kano people, not politicians, and fair trials should be demanded. Kano residents merit justice.
The protesters were at the Nigerian embassy in London to voice their displeasure with the most recent ruling by the Kano State Election Tribunal about the 2023 elections, according to Dr. Aminu Bello, the protest’s organizer.
There are some questions about the judgment’s fairness.
Bello claims that the 2023 elections marked a turning point in Nigerian history since it was then when citizens from all walks of life united to exercise their democratic rights and chose their leaders.
He stated that these core democratic ideals had been called into question by the recent events in Kano State.
The organizer of the protest highlighted that many Nigerians were discouraged and worried about the fairness of the country’s electoral process after the Kano Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal’s ruling.
“We want to emphasize a very important point: tribunal judges do not have the legal jurisdiction to annul votes; only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can. According to him, the judiciary’s job is to interpret the law and make sure justice is done, not to change the electorate’s expressed preferences.
We truly believe that the rule of law must always prevail and that justice must be blind. The most recent ruling has led some people to wonder if justice was actually done in this case. Regardless of their political allegiance, we urge all Nigerians to stand up and fight for justice.
Democracy, in Bello’s opinion, thrives on the variety of political viewpoints and intellectual competition.
He added that Nigeria should never be reduced to a one-party system as the strength of its democracy lies in a vibrant multi-party system where all citizens have a fair chance to express their choices and aspirations. The convener argued that the mandate given to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf by the Kano State people must be upheld and respected.