From Garba Abdullahi Bagwai, in Kano
Hundreds of supporters of the Kwankwasiyya Movement on Friday protested in Kano over the alleged omission of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Comrade 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, marched to the INEC state office, where they submitted a formal petition demanding the reinstatement of their candidate.
Kwankwaso, who presented the petition on behalf of Gwarzo, said the party had complied with all the rules and regulations governing the nomination of candidates, describing the alleged omission as unjust.
Receiving the delegation, Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, said INEC had identified the reason for the omission and provided an opportunity for affected parties to appeal before October 24.
“Basically, what they came to do is to present a complaint about the omission of their candidate. 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 would forward the petition to its national headquarters for consideration.
“We received all the complaints and assured the delegation that their petition will receive the necessary attention. We are going to forward it to our national headquarters for consideration. As far as we are concerned here in Kano, we are very neutral,” he said.
Zango commended the protesters for presenting their grievances peacefully and in an orderly manner, rather than resorting to violence.
He also spoke on the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which commenced on October 9, expressing satisfaction with the turnout so far.
The REC assured residents that collection points would be extended to Registration Areas to make the process more accessible to voters.
In a separate interview, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Dr. Habib Mohammed, said the petition also called for an investigation into alleged forgery and collusion involving an INEC staff member.
Mohammed alleged that the staff member had 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 member here, whom we believe colluded with some unauthorised people to hide a decision which led to the substitution of some of our candidates,” he said.
He explained that the movement was concerned about the submission of multiple letters to INEC headquarters, some of which allegedly bore suspected forged signatures.
“There is a regulation on the activities of the party and even authorised officers who are supposed to engage 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,” Mohammed said.
He further alleged that the letters submitted by unauthorised persons led to the substitution of some of the movement’s candidates in Kano.
Mohammed said the group had asked INEC to investigate the staff member before deciding on further action.
He expressed satisfaction with the assurances given by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, saying the movement expected the petition to be forwarded 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 to the headquarters, which he assured us he is going to do today,” he said.
