Court orders Kano electoral commission to conduct LG polls

A state high court in Kano has ordered the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) to proceed with the conduct of local government polls slated for Saturday.

Sunusi Ado-Ma’aji, the presiding judge, ruled that the constitution empowers KANSIEC to conduct and supervise elections in the LGAs of Kano state.

The judgment was delivered on Friday following an ex parte application filed by the commission.

The commission sought an order to restrain some political parties from disrupting the conduct of the election.

Respondents in the suit are Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Boot Party and Labour Party.

Others are National Rescue Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party, Young Party and Zenith Labour Party.

The presiding judge ruled that “any attempt to truncate the process of the conduct of the poll amounts to nullity”.

The judge ordered security agencies to provide adequate protection of life and property during the conduct of election.

Reacting to the judgment, Nura Adamu-Isa, counsel to the APC, said the party is not challenging the powers of the electoral commission to conduct the elections.

Adamu-Isa said the party is challenging the composition of the leadership of the KANSIEC which contravenes the provisions of the 1999 constitution.

On Tuesday, a federal high court in Kano restrained Sani Malumfashi, chair of KANSIEC,  from conducting the LG polls because “he is a card-carrying member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)”.

The court ruled that Malumfashi and other partisan members of the electoral commission are not unqualified to conduct the elections.

The case was filed by Aminu Tiga, a member of APC.