The Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday sacked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Gawuna, winner of the March 18 governorship poll.

Reading of the judgment was transmitted virtually via Zoom, a teleconference service as the panel members were not physically in court.

The ruling came weeks after lawyers of both parties made their closing arguments on behalf of their clients on 21 August.

Recall the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that the NNPP polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC with its candidate, Nasir Gawuna, who scored 890,705 votes. The NNPP candidate thus won with a margin of 128,897 votes.

However, the APC filed a petition at the tribunal to challenge the results declared by the electoral body.

Yusuf, who contested on the platform of the NNPP was declared winner of the election by the INEC.

After the declaration by INEC, Gawauna congratulated Yusuf, but the All Progressives Congress headed to court to challenge the victory.

The three-man panel, on Wednesday, ordered the withdrawal of certificate of return which INEC presented to Yusuf, and directed a certificate of return to be issued to Gawuna.

The court deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf as invalid, stating that the ballot papers (165,663) were not stamped or signed and therefore declared invalid.

Vanguard

“When my abdomen kept paining me, I approached JUTH for further examination of my health status so as to understand what the cause really was. “On getting to JUTH, a doctor after hearing my complaint, thoroughly examined my stomach and asked me to go for scanning. After the scanning and the results were out, the doctor asked me which kind of operation I underwent that my stomach was cut to that magnitude.

“I told him it was an appendix. The doctor further asked where the first operation was carried out and I told him it was at Murna Clinic. He then disclosed to me that one of my kidneys was removed,” the victim said. “Kidney! I asked. I didn’t know what kidney meant but I quickly called my husband to inform him that the result of the evaluation at JUTH indicated that my kidney was removed.”

Mrs Kamal said before she approached the teaching hospital, sometime in January 2018, she was feeling pain in her stomach and she went to Murna Clinic and Maternity seeking medical attention. There Dr. Noah Kekere, who was alleged to have removed her right kidney, told her that an appendix was discovered on her and she needed to be operated on urgently, adding that if it was not handled quickly, it could cause her death.

“He charged us N80,000 which we paid and thereafter, he carried out the surgery. I spent six days in the hospital. After six months, the side of the operation started causing me pain. My husband said I should go back to Dr. Kekere to lay my complaint which I did. He prescribed some medicines for me. After taking the medicine the pain was eased for some time. But not long after, the same pain started again.

“I continued to report to him about the pain at regular intervals. Whenever I complained, he would either give me some tablets or injections, but a few days after, the pain would return. “When I kept complaining, he told me I needed another surgery as another disease was discovered in my stomach and would cause me N60,000,” the victim said.

“But I thought what if the second operation was carried out and it was also not successful? I was scared because the first operation was yet to be healed and the Dr was suggesting another one. I then decided to go to JUTH for further consultation,” she added. Kehinde said when the result of the scanning issued by JUTH showed that her kidney was removed, and it was shown to him, Dr Kekere denied anything to do with it and the police ordered that another scan be conducted at Fertile Ground Hospital in Jos South where the result also showed that a kidney was removed.

Explaining her illness, Mrs Kamal said: “I was never in my lifetime admitted in a hospital or underwent surgery until 2018 when I was first operated on by Dr Kekere. I gave birth to all my four children in JUTH and never had any record of surgery.” Asked what she wants, she said: “I want Dr Kekere to pay the price of what he has committed. I will never forgive him. Let the law takes its course.” Nooah Kekere of Murna Clinic and Maternity located at Yanshanu Community of Jos North to the Nasarawa Gwong Police Division, accussed of removing Kehinde kidney during an operation in 2018.

Copied from 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 (𝐏𝐄𝐍)

The Doyen of Accounting, Mr. Akintola Williams, is reported to have died at 9 a.m. this morning. 

He recently celebrated his 104th birthday on the 9th of August 2023. 

Akintola Williams is the first chartered accountant in Nigeria and established the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Nigeria called “Akintola Williams & Co.”

He has played a major role in founding the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and emerged as the first President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria (ICAN).

Public and Leadership Roles

Mr. Williams played a leading role in establishing the Association of Accountants in Nigeria (AAN) in 1960 with the goal of training accountants. He was the first President of the association.

• He was a founding member and first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
• He was also involved in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and he is the only surviving signatory to the original Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) at the founding of the NSE on September 15, 1960. He served as a member of the committee set up by the Federal Government to carry out a feasibility study on the viability of establishing a stock exchange in Nigeria.
• Member of the Coker Commission of Inquiry into the statutory corporations of the former Western Region of Nigeria (1962),
• As a member of the National Council of the Exchange, he contributed to the growth of its listing portfolio and established rules reducing barriers for companies to list on the exchange. He remained actively involved with organizations into his old age.
• Founder and council member of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
• Chairman of the Federal Income Tax Appeal Commissioners (1958–68)
• Chairman of the Lagos State Government Revenue Collection Panel (1973)
• Member of the Board of Trustees of the Commonwealth Foundation (1966–1975)
• Chairman of the Public Service Review Panel to correct the anomalies in the Udoji Salary Review Commission (1975).
• Founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Musical Society of Nigeria.(MUSON)

Notable Awards

In April 1997 Williams was appointed as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). Also, In 1982 Williams was honoured by the Nigerian Government with the Order of Federal Republic (OFR) and Commander of Federal Republic (CFR) in 2001.

For services to the accountancy profession and for the promotion of arts, culture and music through the Musical Society of Nigeria, the Akintola Williams Arboretum at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation headquarters in Lagos is named in his honour.

This is a developing story… 

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