By
Prof. Abadallah Uba Adamu
Kano state High Court has ordered the state Independent Electoral Commission to proceed with its arrangements for the forthcoming Kano council polls scheduled for tomorrow on Saturday.
This recent decision of the Kano high court came barely a day after a federal high court presided over by Justice by Simon Amobeda make a pronouncement that the state electoral umpire could not proceed with the preparation for the election because its Chairman and members are card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).
Counsel to Kano state Independent Electoral Commission Barr. Muntari Dandago said, Kano high Court led by Justice Sanusi Ma’aji said there are no convincing reasons to prove that the Chairman and members of the commission are card-carrying members of the NNPP.
The presiding judge also ordered that contrary to the release earlier issue by security agencies that they will abide by the ruling of the federal high court, they should participate to ensure security and safety during the election.
But counsel to the All Progressives Congress said they were not against the leadership of the state electoral body, but it’s powers to conduct the forthcoming election.
The presiding judge Ma’aji said it was the constitution that empowers the state electoral umpire to conduct and supervise local government elections in Kano and any attempt to temper with that power is against the extant laws.
It could be recall that on Tuesday a Federal High Court sitting in Kano nullified the leadership of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission after one Aminu Tiga dragged KANSIEC and (14) others before the court.
Apart from nullifying the leadership, the judge also ordered a new set of leadership be constituted to conduct the council polls in Kano.
Similar situation characterized the planned local government polls in Rivers State recently, where he ordered the security agencies not to participate in the election in compliance with the court order.
But the Rivers Governor went ahead to proceed with the conduct of the council polls, a circumstance that causes serious security breach in Rivers State.
The Kano Police spokesperson SP Abdullahi Kiyawa in a release issued said the command has made arrangements to provide adequate security and protection for the schedule local government council polls.
But he said while the preparation was ongoing, the command received an order of the court asking the police not to participate in the exercise.
Kiyawa in the release stated that they have complied with the directives of the court not to participate, but the police must come out to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the state.
In another video footage released, Kiyawa said the state police commissioner Salman Dogo Garba directed that police should come out to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the state.
But in another release the KANSIEC has assured that it will proceed with the planned election, noting that it may make use of operatives of Kano state Traffic Agency KARORA and that of Hisbah Commission to provide security for the scheduled polls.
Kano Governor, on the other hand, insisted that no one can stop the state from conducting council polls as scheduled.
He accused those he termed as enemies of the state to be responsible for the crisis.
Abba Kabiru insisted neither Kano state government nor the state umpire violated any law regarding the planned council polls.
