Hundreds of Kwankwasiyya Movement supporters on Friday protested in Kano over the alleged omission of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The protesters, led by the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, submitted a formal petition to the commission’s Kano State office, demanding the reinstatement of Gwarzo’s name.
Kwankwaso, who represented Gwarzo, said the party had complied with INEC’s rules and regulations on candidate nomination, describing the omission as unjust.
Receiving the delegation, Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, said the commission had taken note of the complaint and 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 said the commission had received the petition and would forward it to its 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 added.
Zango commended the protesters for presenting their grievances peacefully and orderly.
He also expressed satisfaction with the turnout for the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which began on October 9, adding that collection points would be extended to Registration Areas to improve accessibility.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habib Mohammed, said the petition also raised allegations of forgery and collusion involving an INEC staff member.
Mohammed alleged that the staff member colluded with unauthorised individuals to conceal a decision that resulted in the substitution of some of the movement’s candidates.
“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.
He alleged that multiple letters, some bearing signatures suspected to be forged, were submitted to INEC headquarters by individuals who were not authorised to communicate with the commission on behalf of the party.
“These things constitute part of the reason why some of our candidates were actually substituted,” Mohammed said.
He said the movement had asked INEC to investigate the staff member before deciding on further action.
Mohammed added that the group was satisfied with the assurances given by the resident electoral commissioner, who promised to escalate the petition to the commission’s 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,” he said.
