The Court of Appeal in Abuja has nullified the judgements of a Federal High Court in Kano which invalidated the composition of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC) and the local government election conducted on October 26, 2024.

A three-member panel of justices on Friday unanimously held that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on the composition of states’ electoral bodies and the qualification of members of such bodies.

In the lead judgement by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, the appellate court said the court with the required jurisdiction was the Kano State High Court.

The Court of Appeal also struck out the suits filed before the Federal High Court where the earlier judgement emanated for lack of jurisdiction, and admitted three appeals filed by the Kano State House of Assembly and KASIEC.

In its fourth judgement on Friday, the Court of Appeal also reversed another judgement delivered by the same Federal High Court in Kano, rejecting the list of candidates submitted to KASIEC by the Musa Kwankwanso faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for the last local government election in Kano State.

The court held that the subject of the case, in relation to the leadership dispute in the NNPP with two factions submitting the list of candidates, was an internal party affair not covered by the court’s jurisdiction.