Kwankwasiyya protests NDC governorship candidate’s omission from INEC list

Supporters of the Kwankwasiyya Movement have petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the omission of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, alleging that suspected forged letters and collusion by an electoral official led to the substitution of their candidates.

The protesters, led on Friday by the movement’s deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, marched to INEC’s Kano office to submit a formal petition demanding the reinstatement of Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo as the party’s governorship candidate.

Kwankwaso, who represented Gwarzo, said the party had complied with INEC’s rules and nomination procedures, describing the omission as unjust.

Receiving the delegation, Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner Abdu Zango said the commission had noted the complaint and would forward the petition to its national headquarters for consideration.

He said the affected party still had an opportunity to appeal, with the window open until October 24.

“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 added that the commission had received the complaints and assured the protesters that their petition would receive the necessary attention.

“As far as we are concerned in Kano here, we are very neutral,” he said, commending the group for presenting its grievances peacefully.

The spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Dr Habib Mohammed, said the petition also called for an investigation into an INEC staff member whom the group accused of colluding with unauthorised persons to facilitate changes to its candidates.

Mohammed alleged that multiple letters, some bearing suspected forged signatures, had been submitted to INEC headquarters, resulting in the substitution of some of the movement’s candidates.

“There is a regulation on the activities of the party and even authorised officers that are supposed to be engaging INEC. In a situation where multiple letters were submitted, some with suspected forged signatures, that is why we feel the need to bring it to light,” he said.

He said the group wanted INEC to investigate the staff member and establish how the letters were received and processed.

The allegations have not been independently verified, and no response from the staff member accused was included in the account of the protest.

Mohammed said the movement was satisfied with Zango’s response and expected the petition to be escalated to the commission’s national headquarters.

Meanwhile, Zango said the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards, which began on October 9, had recorded encouraging turnout. He added that INEC planned to extend collection points to Registration Areas to make the process more accessible to voters.