THE Kano State government has said it will proceed with the local government election scheduled for Saturday, October 26.
The state Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf stated this on Thursday, October 24, while presenting flags to the 44 New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) chairmanship candidates for the election.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin, the governor said he was ready to swear in the candidates declared winners by the electoral body.
The governor assured that the party would win all 44 chairmanship seats and 484 councillorship slots in the state.
In his remarks, the state NNPP chairman, Hashim Dungurawa, said the party was delighted with the presentation of the flags to the candidates.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Police Command has declared that it would comply with the court order restricting it from participating in the local government election.
The command, in a statement by its spokesperson, Abdullahi Kiyawa, stated this on Thursday.
“We will comply with the court order restricting us from participation in the coming Kano State local government election. However, we will remain steadfast in fulfilling our constitutional mandate of protection of lives and properties,” Kiyawa stated.
The ICIR reported that a Federal High Court stopped the election from holding when it sacked the chairman and members of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) a few days before the poll.
The court, in its ruling, delivered by Simon Amobede, stated that the KANSIEC chairman, Sani Malumfashi, a professor, 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 the 1st defendant (KANSIEC), whose composition of members was made in contravention of constitutional provisions of Section 197 (1)(b) and Section 200 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, 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 extet law.
The judge also decided that all of the commission’s efforts to prepare for the local government election, including the distribution of election guidelines, circulars, candidate screening, and the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms, were null and void.
A reporter with the ICIR
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