The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court ruling that challenged the validity of Kano State local government elections conducted in October 2024, affirming that the polls were legally conducted.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Oyewumi ruled that the Federal High Court in Kano lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), which had sought to stop the elections.

The APC had initially filed a suit at the Federal High Court alleging that the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Sani Malumfashi, and some commissioners were card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), which they claimed compromised the electoral process.

Justice Amobeda of the Federal High Court had ruled in favor of the APC and ordered a halt to the polls. However, despite the court order, the local government elections proceeded as scheduled in October 2024.

The Appeal Court's decision effectively upholds the appeal filed by the Kano State Government and confirms the legitimacy of the October 2024 local government elections.

"The Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case, let alone deliver a ruling on it," Justice Oyewumi stated in the judgment.

As of the time of filing this report, the APC has not issued an official response to the judgment. Attempts by reporters to reach the party's spokesperson, Ahmad Aruwa, were unsuccessful as calls went unanswered.

This ruling represents a significant legal victory for the Kano State Government and the NNPP, which has maintained that the local government elections were conducted in accordance with the law despite the initial court order.

The case highlights ongoing political tensions in Kano State, where the NNPP and APC have been engaged in various legal battles since the 2023 general elections changed the political landscape of the state.