Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Confirms Local Government Elections Will Proceed as Scheduled
A clarification from Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) has announced that the upcoming local government elections, set to take place on October 26, 2024, will indeed go forward as planned.
This decision comes amidst contradictory court judgments regarding the Saturday council elections. A federal high court in Kano, presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, had initially prohibited the commission from conducting the election due to concerns over the alleged political affiliations of its chairman and members.
The court had also restricted the police from participating in the elections. However, the Kano State High Court made a counter ruling on Friday, giving KANSIEC the green light to proceed with the election.
During a press conference on Friday, KANSIEC Chairman Sani Malumfashi expressed confidence that all necessary preparations are complete and emphasized that there would be no delays despite previous legal hurdles. He stated, “We are fully prepared, and there is no going back. The court with jurisdiction over local government issues has made its judgment and ruled that we should go ahead with the election. The police have also been directed to provide the necessary security for the exercise.”
Malumfashi also poked fun at the political party challenging the elections, pointing out that they were not even participating. He stated, “The party championing the challenge against the local government election is not even taking part. They have refused to recognize the commission and have failed to engage in any part of the election process.”
The KANSIEC chairman identified six political parties that would be participating in the election: the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Zenith Labour Party, National Rescue Movement, African Action Congress, and Action Congress.
