From Garba Ibn Hamza
In a decisive ruling, the Federal High Court in Kano has invalidated the candidacies of all 44 chairmanship and councillorship hopefuls from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for October 26, 2024.
Justice Simon Amobeda delivered the verdict on Friday, stemming from a legal challenge 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 recognize only the list of candidates submitted by Dalhatu Shehu Usman, the faction's recognized State Chairman, and to disregard any alternative lists.
Justice Amobeda further restrained the defendant from releasing the voters register to conduct the election, stressing the importance of compliance with the party’s internal constitution.
Additionally, Justice Amobeda mandated the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to refrain from deploying security personnel to polling stations if the current candidate list remains unamended.
The defendants in this case include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), KANSIEC, the Inspector General of Police, and the DSS.
The judgment has intensified the tensions surrounding the local government elections in Kano, raising questions about the NNPP’s internal disputes and the party’s future political course.
