The Kano State House of Assembly has given the green light for local government elections to proceed as scheduled on October 26, 2024, despite a Federal High Court order directing otherwise.
This decision comes after Justice Simon Amobeda disqualified the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) chairman and members due to their political affiliations.
Lawan Hussaini Dala, Majority Leader of the Assembly, criticized the court’s ruling, citing a contradiction with an earlier decision by Justice Nura Ma’aji.
That decision prevented 19 political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), from challenging the elections. Dala confidently stated,
“Conducting the election does not violate the law.”
To ensure the elections proceed smoothly, Dala called on young party loyalists to provide security, as the state government is determined to hold the elections regardless of police or security agency availability.
The political parties had initially opposed the high fees set by KANSIEC for chairmanship and councillorship candidates.
However, a Federal High Court intervention led to reduced fees of N9 million and N4 million for the respective offices.
An ex parte order on September 24, 2024, further restrained political parties from obstructing KANSIEC, allowing the commission to proceed with election preparations.
