The Federal High Court in Kano has disqualified all 44 chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ahead of the local government elections scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2024.
Justice Simon Amobeda issued the ruling on Friday after hearing a case filed by Engineer Muhammad Babayo and a faction of the NNPP against the party’s leadership. The court ordered the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) to accept a new list of candidates submitted by the faction led by the party’s recognized State Chairman, Dalhatu Shehu Usman.
In his ruling, Justice Amobeda stated, “The defendant is hereby restrained from releasing the voters’ register for the second defendant to conduct the proposed election.”
This ruling comes in the wake of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also withdrawing from the upcoming local government elections. The Chairman of KANSIEC, Professor Sani Malumfashi, announced the APC’s decision during a news conference on Friday. He explained that the party did not participate in any of the processes leading up to the elections.
Despite the disqualification of NNPP candidates and the withdrawal of the APC, KANSIEC has confirmed that the local government elections will still take place as directed by a prior State High Court ruling.
The political landscape in Kano is becoming increasingly complex as these developments unfold, with many observers keenly watching the impact on the upcoming elections.
