Umar Bangari, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, addressed concerns regarding the perceived contradiction in the judgment related to the Kano State governorship election.
The confusion arose due to disparities between the oral pronouncement made in open court and the contents of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment.
During the open court session, a three-member panel led by M. A. Adumein affirmed the decision of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribuna, which nullified Governor Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party.
However, the concluding part of the CTC indicated a resolution against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate.
Following these discrepancies, the New Nigeria Peoples Party accused the Court of Appeal of altering the judgment post-deliberation.
In response, Chief Registrar Bangari clarified that the inconsistency in the CTC was a clerical error and did not impact the court’s findings or conclusions on the matter.
He emphasized that this error, being clerical, could be rectified without compromising the validity of the judgment.
Bangari reassured that the court possessed the authority to correct such errors, as outlined in Order 23 Rule 4 of the Court of Appeal Handbook.
He suggested that the necessary correction would be made upon formal application by the involved parties, affirming the ongoing validity of the court’s judgment despite the clerical oversight.