…Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction
The iNews Times reports that the Court of Appeal on Friday set aside the October 22, 2024 judgment by a Federal High Court in Kano, which nullified the composition of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) and the local government election it conducted on October 26, 2024.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the Appeal Court held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain cases related to the composition of state electoral bodies and the qualification of their members.
The appellate court ruled that the High Court of Kano State has the requisite jurisdiction to handle such matters.
The appeals were filed by the Kano State Attorney General, the Kano State House of Assembly, and KANSIEC.
The Court of Appeal struck out the suits filed at the Federal High Court for lack of jurisdiction.
The Court of Appeal also overturned a related judgment delivered on October 24, 2024, which rejected the list of candidates submitted by the Musa Kwakwanso faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for the local government election.
The court held that the issue was an internal party dispute and that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to determine the authentic list of candidates.
The Appeal Court emphasized the need for political parties to resolve their internal disputes through constitutional mechanisms and noted that party leadership issues are not justiciable.
