A Kano State High Court, on Friday ordered the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) to proceed with the conduct of local government election scheduled for Saturday.
Delivering judgment, Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma’aji, held that KANSIEC is empowered by the provisions of the Constitution 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 Sept.20.
The applicant is seeking the court to restrain the respondents from disrupting the electoral process in the 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The respondents in the suit are Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Boot Party and 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”.
Ado-Ma’aji ordered security agencies to provide adequate protection of life and property during the conduct of election slated for Saturday.
Reacting to the judgment, Counsel to APC, Mr Nura Adamu-Isa, said his client did not challenge the powers of the electoral body to conduct of 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, Mr Mukhtar Dandago, said election would hold as scheduled.
He urged voters to turn out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice on that day of election.
“We filed an appeal before the court of appeal challenging the Federal High Court judgment”
The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Federal High Court Kano, presided by Justice Simon Amobeda, sacked KANSIEC Chairman and commissioners of the agency.
NAN also reports that the court said that the commission was illegally constituted.
Justice Amobeda, also restrained INEC from issuing voter’s register to KANSIEC and also restrained security agencies including police, DSS and civil defence from participating in the proposed election (NAN.
