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Hundreds of members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement on Friday protested at the Kano State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the reinstatement of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Gwarzo.
The protesters, led by the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, submitted a formal petition to the commission, seeking a review of the candidate’s exclusion from its list of governorship contenders.
They also called for an investigation into alleged irregularities in the substitution of some NDC candidates, accusing an INEC official of colluding with unauthorised individuals to facilitate the changes.
Receiving the protesters at the commission’s office, the Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, acknowledged their complaints and promised to forward the petition to INEC’s national headquarters for consideration.
Zango explained that the commission had already stated its reasons for omitting some candidates and provided an opportunity for affected political parties to appeal before October 24, 2026.
“Basically, what they came to do is to present a complaint about the omission of their candidates. 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,” he said.
The electoral commissioner commended the protesters for presenting their grievances peacefully and urged political groups to use established channels to resolve disputes rather than resort to violence.
“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.
“I also commended them because that is the most orderly way of presenting such complaints rather than resorting to violence,” Zango said.
He reaffirmed INEC’s neutrality in the electoral process and urged eligible voters in Kano State to continue collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). He added that PVC collection would soon be extended to Registration Areas to make the process more accessible.
Speaking to journalists after submitting the petition, Kwankwasiyya Movement spokesperson, Dr Habib Mohammed, said the protest was intended to secure the reinstatement of the NDC candidates and demand an investigation into the alleged misconduct of an electoral commission official.
Mohammed alleged that the official had worked with unauthorised individuals to conceal a decision that led to the substitution of some candidates.
“We are also petitioning against a staff here, whom we believe colluded with some unauthorized people to hide a decision which led to substitution of some of our candidates,” he said.
He further alleged that several letters bearing suspected forged signatures had been submitted to INEC, leading to the replacement of some candidates.
The movement urged the commission to investigate the allegations, establish how the substitutions occurred and take appropriate action if any wrongdoing was found.
Mohammed warned that the group could consider further action if its complaints were not adequately addressed, but acknowledged INEC’s assurance that the petition would be forwarded to the national headquarters.
