In a dramatic turn of events, a Federal High Court in Kano has disqualified all 44 chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the upcoming local government elections.
The ruling, delivered on Friday by Justice Simon Amobeda, followed a case brought by Engineer Muhammad Babayo and a faction of the NNPP against the party’s leadership.
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Justice Amobeda directed that the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) should accept a new list of candidates submitted by the faction led by the recognized State Chairman, Dalhatu Shehu Usman, in accordance with the party’s constitution.
“The defendant is hereby restrained from releasing the voters register for the 2nd Defendant to conduct the proposed election on 26th October 2024,” the judge declared. He further instructed KANSIEC to recognize the list of candidates submitted by the plaintiffs.
The case also involved several defendants, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), KANSIEC, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The judgment has introduced additional controversy to the local government elections. The court also barred security agencies from providing protection at polling units if the election proceeds without the updated candidate list.
“The 2nd Defendant is hereby directed to accept as genuine and subsisting the list of NNPP candidates submitted to it by the recognized State Chairman, Dalhatu Shehu Usman,” the judge ruled, emphasizing that “any other list submitted for the 2024 Local Government Election in Kano State shou awwld be rejected.”
In addition, Justice Amobeda instructed the Inspector General of Police and the DSS not to provide security for the election under the current arrangement.
“That the 3rd and 4th Defendants are forthwith restrained from providing security and protection to the scene of the Election plans to take place on the 26th October, 2024,” the court concluded.
