The affirmation of Abba Yusuf as the governor of Kano State by the Supreme Court was made on Friday. Justice John Okoro delivered the lead judgment and pointed out that the lower court erred in its judgment by subtracting 165,616 votes from the total votes secured by Governor Yusuf. The Supreme Court stated that the allegation made by the respondent that the ballot papers were not from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not proven. It also emphasized that before a ballot paper can be declared invalid, it must be proven that it was not given to the presiding officer, as mandated by Section 63(1) of the Electoral Act. The Supreme Court held that the ballot papers in question were signed and stamped and only lacked the date; thus, the total votes secured by Abba Yusuf should be increased by 165,616. The Apex Court also ruled that the issue of the wrong nomination of Governor Yusuf is a pre-election matter, and no political party can interfere with how another party nominates its candidates.
With the ruling of the apex court, all legal issues regarding the March 18 governorship election in Kano State have been resolved. In September 2023, the Kano governorship election tribunal nullified the victory of Governor Yusuf in the March 18 governorship election and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Kano. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the tribunal on November 13, stating that the Electoral Law was breached by fielding Abba Yusuf as he was not qualified to contest in the election. Governor Yusuf proceeded to the Supreme Court to seek redress and was affirmed as the authentic Kano State Governor by the apex court. The Supreme Court warned judges of the lower courts to live up to expectations.