Court Removes NNPP Candidates Ahead Of Kano Local Government Elections.
A Federal High Court in Kano has stirred fresh controversy just a day before the scheduled local government elections by disqualifying all candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from the polls. The court’s ruling on Friday removed the NNPP’s 44 chairmanship and councillorship candidates from contention, delivering a major setback to the ruling party in Kano State.
Justice Simon Amobede, who presided over the case, issued the judgement in favour of a faction within the NNPP led by Dalhatu Shehu Usman. This faction had challenged the legitimacy of the candidates initially presented by the party for the upcoming elections. Justice Amobede ordered the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) to recognise and clear candidates submitted by Usman’s faction, deeming them as the valid NNPP representatives for the election.
The court also placed restrictions on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), preventing it from releasing the voters’ register to KANSIEC for the local government election. Furthermore, the court ruled that security forces, including the Police and Department of State Services (DSS), were not to provide protection or security at the polling stations on election day.
This ruling has created uncertainty just hours before the elections, with questions surrounding the organisation and potential delay of the polls. As the NNPP navigates this legal setback, the situation underscores the party’s internal conflicts and the influence of judiciary rulings in shaping the political landscape in Kano State.
