Court upholds Kano electoral commission’s powers to conduct LG polls
The Kano State High Court, on Friday, ordered the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) to proceed with the conduct of the local government election scheduled for Saturday.
Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma’aji held that the constitution empowers KANSIEC to conduct, supervise and hold local government elections across the 44 council areas.
KANSIEC, through its counsel, Rilwanu Umar (SAN), filed a motion exparte dated and filed on September 20.
The applicant seeks the court to restrain the respondents from disrupting the electoral process of 44 local government areas (LGAs).
The respondents in the suit are the Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Boot Party and the Labour Party.
Others are National Rescue Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party, Young Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The judge held, ”Any attempt to truncate the process of the conduct of the poll amounts to nullity.”
Mr Ado-Ma’aji ordered security agencies to provide adequate protection of life and property during the election slated for Saturday.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to APC, Nura Adamu-Isa, said his client did not challenge the electoral body’s powers to conduct the election.
“My client is challenging the composition of the electoral body, which contravened the provisions of the constitution and KANSIEC laws 2001.
“We will study the judgment and decide the next line of action,” he said.
Responding, KANSIEC Commissioner on Legal and Voters Matter Mukhtar Dandago said the election would hold as scheduled.
He urged voters to turn out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice on that day of the election.
“We filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal challenging the Federal High Court judgment,” he said.
The Kano Division of the Federal High Court Kano, presided by Justice Simon Amobeda, sacked the KANSIEC chairman and commissioners of the agency.
The court said the commission was illegally constituted.
Justice Amobeda also restrained INEC from issuing voter’s registers to KANSIEC and restrained security agencies, including police, SSS and civil defence, from participating in the proposed election.
(NAN)
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