Five candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) have accused some celebration leaders in Kano State of making an attempt to frustrate their participation within the forthcoming normal elections by means of protests, petitions and media campaigns.
The candidates urged the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to withstand alleged makes an attempt to intimidate its officers and affect pending court docket circumstances over the celebration’s primaries.
The candidates made the allegations in a petition addressed to the INEC chairman by means of the Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, in response to an earlier petition dated October 16, 2026, submitted by Tahir Chambers on behalf of the Kano NDC chapter towards an INEC official, Mrs Hauwa Buhari.
The petition, signed by their counsel, Bola Aidi, SAN, recognized the affected candidates as Abdulmajid Umar (Gwale), Shaaban Sharada (Kano Municipal), Ismaeel Sani (Kumbotso), Ibrahim Bango (Sumaila/Takai) and Nasir Ahmed (Nasarawa).
Aidi alleged that some officers of the celebration’s state chapter, appearing on the prompting of an influential political chief dissatisfied with the result of the primaries, had been working to stop the candidates from contesting the elections.
He maintained that the candidates accomplished the prescribed nomination processes with the celebration’s nationwide management recognising their nominations.
According to the petition, the nationwide management instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1628/2026 on the Federal High Court in Abuja, in search of an order compelling INEC to add the names of its nominated candidates.
The counsel mentioned the court docket granted an interim order directing the fee to add the names of the affected candidates, amongst others.
He additional disclosed that the Federal High Court in Kano delivered judgments on October 14, 2026, affirming the candidature of two of the 5 candidates.
Aidi alleged that subsequent protests in Kano and Abuja had been supposed to undermine the court docket choices and affect the remaining circumstances.
However, he urged INEC to analyze the allegations towards Buhari, who was accused within the earlier petition of issuing a number of inconsistent and undated monitoring reviews on the celebration’s primaries.
He mentioned the fee ought to conduct any investigation impartially and primarily based on credible proof, warning towards utilizing administrative procedures to persecute officers over disputed electoral information.
The counsel additionally cited Sections 158(1) and 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, on INEC’s institutional independence and the enforcement of court docket choices.
He disclosed that his purchasers had taken steps to contain the police in investigating alleged threats, intimidation and attainable interference with judicial proceedings.
The candidates requested INEC to protect all unique monitoring reviews, correspondence and digital information regarding the disputed primaries, whereas giving impact to subsisting court docket judgments except stayed or put aside by a reliable court docket.
They additionally referred to as on the fee to stay impartial and shield its officers from improper political stress.
Aidi clarified that his purchasers weren’t against peaceable protests or lawful petitions however had been involved about any accompanying intimidation or illegal conduct.
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