Kano: Kwankwasiyya supporters protest INEC’s omission of NDC candidate

Hundreds of Kwankwasiyya Movement supporters on Friday protested in Kano over the alleged omission of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The protesters, led by the NDC deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, on behalf of Gwarzo, marched to the INEC state office, where they submitted a formal petition demanding the reinstatement of their candidate.

Speaking during the protest, Kwankwaso said the party had complied with all the rules and regulations governing the nomination of candidates, describing the alleged omission as unjust.

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Receiving the delegation, Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, said INEC had noted the complaint and explained that an appeal window remained open until October 24.

“Basically, what they came to do is to present a complaint about the omission of their candidates. Luckily, INEC has made the point very clear, the reason for the omission and the fact that there is a window of appeal that has been provided up to the 24th of October,” Zango said.

He assured the protesters that their petition would receive the necessary attention and be forwarded to the commission’s national headquarters for consideration.

“We received all the complaints and assured the delegation that their petition will receive the necessary attention and we are going to forward it to our national headquarters for consideration. As far as we are concerned in Kano here, we are very neutral,” he said.

Zango commended the protesters for adopting a peaceful and orderly approach in expressing their grievances, urging political actors to pursue their complaints through established channels rather than resorting to violence.

The REC also spoke about the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which commenced on October 9, expressing satisfaction with the turnout.
He said INEC planned to extend PVC collection points to Registration Areas to make the exercise more accessible to eligible voters.

In a separate interview, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Dr Habib Mohammed, said the petition covered not only the alleged omission of the NDC governorship candidate but also claims of forgery and collusion involving an INEC staff member.

Mohammed alleged that an official of the commission had colluded with unauthorised persons to conceal a decision that resulted in the substitution of some of the movement’s candidates.

He said the group was concerned about multiple letters allegedly submitted to INEC headquarters, some of which it suspected contained forged signatures.
“Another reason is a petition against a staff here, whom we believe colluded with some unauthorised people to hide a decision which led to substitution of some of our candidates,” he said.

Mohammed maintained that only duly authorised party officials should communicate with INEC on candidate nominations and substitutions.

He further alleged that unauthorised correspondence sent to the commission’s national headquarters had contributed to the substitution of some candidates in Kano.

The spokesperson said the movement had requested an investigation into the conduct of the staff member before deciding on further action.

He expressed satisfaction with the reception accorded the delegation by the resident electoral commissioner, adding that the group expected the petition to be escalated to the national headquarters.

“Alhamdulillah, he received us very well and has given us assurance that he is going to do the needful within his own power. We are expecting him to escalate this particular petition up to the headquarters, which he assures us he is going to do today,” Mohammed said.

The protest comes amid concerns by the movement over the status of its candidates, with the group seeking INEC’s intervention to address the alleged omission and investigate the circumstances surrounding the reported substitutions.

INEC has yet to announce the outcome of the petition in the information provided.