The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a previous ruling by the Federal High Court in Kano that had halted local government elections in the state. The appellate court determined that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Oyewumi, the Court of Appeal concluded that the Federal High Court exceeded its constitutional authority by intervening in the conduct of local government elections, which is solely under the purview of state authorities.

With this ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal filed by the Kano State Government, effectively nullifying the earlier decision and confirming the legality of the local government elections held in the state.

Earlier reports indicated that a lawsuit was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in October 2024, aiming to stop the scheduled elections. The plaintiffs alleged that the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawal Malumfashi, and some commissioners were members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), thus compromising the neutrality of the electoral body.

Despite a ruling from Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court favoring the plaintiffs just days before the elections, which dissolved KANSIEC’s leadership and prohibited the elections, KANSIEC proceeded with the polls on October 26, 2024. The APC subsequently dismissed these elections as illegal and in violation of the court’s directive.