Kano Assembly Defies Court, Insists on Conducting LG Polls

The Kano State House of Assembly has confirmed that local government elections will proceed as planned on Saturday, October 26, 2024, despite a Federal High Court ruling that barred the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) from holding the polls.

Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano had issued a ruling on Tuesday, disqualifying KANSIEC’s chairman and other members due to their political affiliations. However, the state government expressed its intention to move forward with the elections, regardless of the availability of police or other security personnel for protection during the exercise.

Lawan Hussaini Dala, Majority Leader of the Assembly, criticized the court’s ruling, claiming it contradicts an earlier decision by Justice Nura Ma’aji, which prevented 19 political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), from challenging the elections. Dala argued that the elections must proceed, referencing a Supreme Court mandate that requires all states to conduct their local government elections by the end of October.

“We anticipated this ruling and have put measures in place to ensure the elections are held as scheduled. Conducting the election does not breach the law,” Dala stated. He also called on young party loyalists to provide security during the elections.

The leadership of various political parties had initially opposed the high fees imposed by KANSIEC for chairmanship and councillorship candidates, set at N10 million and N5 million, respectively. However, a Federal High Court in Abuja intervened and ordered the fees to be reduced to N9 million for chairmanship candidates and N4 million for councillorship aspirants.

Despite the legal disputes, the Kano High Court granted an ex parte order on September 24, 2024, preventing the political parties from obstructing the elections. This ruling has allowed KANSIEC to continue preparations for the polls, despite opposition from several political factions.