In a shocking development, a Federal High Court has sacked all 44 chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the Kano State local government election. Justice Simon Amobede delivered the judgement in a suit filed by a faction of the party led by Dalhatu Shehu Usman.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The court voided the candidatures of the affected party members and directed the faction to submit its list of candidates to the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) for clearance. The defendants in the case include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), KANSIEC, Inspector General of Police, and Director, Department of Security Services (DSS).
Upon hearing the originating summons filed and dated October 8, 2024, Justice Amobede barred INEC from releasing the voters register to KANSIEC for the proposed election on October 26, 2024. The court also ordered KANSIEC to accept the list submitted by the plaintiffs.
Specifically, the court ruled: “The 1st defendant (INEC) is hereby restrained from releasing the voters register for the 2nd defendant (KANSIEC) to conduct the proposed election on 26th October 2024. The 2nd defendant (KANSIEC) is hereby directed to accept as genuine and subsisting, the list of NNPP candidates submitted to it by the recognized State Chairman of the party, Dalhatu Shehu Usman.”
Furthermore, the court restrained the Police and DSS from providing security and protection for the election, stating: “The 3rd and 4th defendants (Police and DSS) are forthwith restrained from providing security and protection to the scene of the election planned to take place on the 26th October, 2024.”
This development comes barely 24 hours after the chairman and four other members of KANSIEC were also sacked by court, deepening the crisis within the party.