LG Poll: Court sacks KANSIEC Chairman, Members

Ahead of the scheduled local government elections in Kano state, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano has disqualified the chairman and members of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC).

According to the ruling, the KANSIEC chairman and other members of the Commission are card carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and also are not civil servants above grade level 14.

____This is coming barely four days to the Kano LG elections, scheduled for Saturday October 26, 2024.

The Justice S.A Amobede le-court made the declaration while delivering judgement in a suit filed by Aminu Aliyu Tiga, an All Progressives Congress, APC, member against KANSIEC, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Haruna Isa Dederi, and 14 others.

___According to him, “The defendants being card carrying members of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and in partisan politics contrary to the Section 197 (1) (b) and Section 200 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, are not qualified to be the Chairman and Members of the of the Defendant, (KANSIEC).”

______The judge further ruled that “Kabir Zakirai, the Secretary of the Commission, not being an officer in the Kano State Civil Service not below the rank of Director prior to his appointment as Secretary of the Commission, is not qualified to……be appointed to the position pursuant to Section 14 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001”.

At the time of filing this report, no official response from the Kano state government on the ruling.