Five candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State have accused the Kwankwasiyya Movement of intimidation, harassment and attempts to influence the party’s candidate list for the 2027 general elections.
The candidates also alleged that the movement was trying to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into replacing the list submitted by the party’s national leadership with another set of nominees.
The affected candidates are Abdulmajid Umar of Gwale Federal Constituency, Shaaban Sharada of Kano Municipal Federal Constituency, Ishmael Sani of Kumbotso Federal Constituency, Ibrahim Bango of Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency and Nasir Ahmed of Nassarawa Federal Constituency.
In a seven-page complaint dated October 17, 2026, and signed by Bola Aidi, SAN & Co., their solicitors, the candidates challenged a recent petition submitted by Kwankwasiyya to INEC. They urged the movement to respect a Federal High Court judgment on the party’s nominations.
The complainants cited a judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Kano on October 14, 2026, which they said validated two of them as the authentic NDC candidates in the state, while judgment was reserved on the cases involving the other three.
They argued that they had met the party’s constitutional requirements and other legal conditions before the NDC national headquarters submitted their names to INEC.
However, they alleged that an influential political figure within the party in Kano had been frustrating the process despite their compliance with the relevant rules.
The candidates maintained that no individual should be allowed to override the decision of the party’s national leadership or disregard a court ruling by attempting to replace the names already submitted to INEC.
“The influential political leader within NDC in Kano has openly expressed determination to prevent them from contesting the 2027 election in Kano under NDC. The recent protest at INEC was against the five candidates,” they said.
They also faulted a protest organised by Kwankwasiyya supporters and a separate petition against one Hauwa Buhari, who was accused of tampering with NDC documents at INEC.
According to the candidates, those actions did not represent the official position of the NDC leadership.
They further alleged that the protest was organised a few days after the court ruling that upheld their party’s nomination against the candidates backed by Kwankwasiyya.
Describing the development as an attempt to undermine the rule of law, the complainants accused an unnamed political figure of acting out of personal grievances and refusing to respect the NDC constitution and the authority of the court.
Kano NDC candidates accuse Kwankwasiyya of intimidation over 2027 polls