RESIDENTS of Kano State have complied with the state government’s movement restriction order issued ahead of the Saturday, October 26, local government election in the state.
The state government, which issued the “no movement” order through the commissioner for information and Internal affairs, Baba Halilu Dantiyi, said it was to ensure the smooth conduct of the state’s local government election.
According to an eyewitness, Ali Garba, potential voters were seen walking to their respective polling locations due to the lack of vehicles, indicating a high level of compliance with the directive.
Representatives of the Kano State Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) were also seen transporting voting materials to different polling places within the state.
The local government election in Kano has been enmeshed in controversy in the week leading to the election.
The ICIR reported that the state independent electoral commission (KANSIEC), on Friday, October 25, affirmed its readiness to conduct local government elections across all the 44 local government areas.
This followed a Kano State High Court ruling affirming its power to conduct the polls.
The ICIR reported that a Federal High Court stopped the election from holding when it sacked the KANSIEC chairman and its members a few days before the poll.
The court, in its ruling, delivered by Simon Amobede, stated that the KANSIEC chairman and other members of the commission were card-carrying members of the ruling NNPP.
The court gave the ruling on Tuesday, October 22, while delivering judgment in a suit filed by Aminu Aliyu Tiga of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against KANSIEC, the state attorney general and commissioner for justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, and 14 others.
The judge added that KANSIEC could not validly and competently conduct local government elections in respect of 44 local governments in the state until and unless qualified persons are duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the commission, in line with relevant extant law.
However, announcing its readiness for the election and also reacting to the state high court ruling on Friday, the commission’s chairman, Malunfashi, asserted that only the state high court held jurisdiction over state and local government affairs.
He noted that the ruling dismissed any further legal challenges, encouraging all parties to respect the judgment.
With the election just some hours away, the KANSIEC chairman stated that only six political parties—the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), African Action Congress (AAC), National Rescue Movement (NRM) Accord, and Action Alliance—would participate in the poll.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Police command has declared that it would comply with the Federal High Court order restricting it from participating in the election.
The command, in a statement by its spokesperson, Abdullahi Kiyawa, stated this on Thursday.
A reporter with the ICIR
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