Protest Rocks Kano INEC Office Over Omission of NDC Governorship Candidate
Supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State have staged a peaceful protest at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the omission of the party’s governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu, from the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
The protesters visited the commission’s office in Kano on Friday.
They called on INEC to urgently correct what they described as an error and publish the names of both candidates to enable the party to participate fully in the forthcoming election.
The protest comes days after the Kano State chapter of the NDC raised concerns over the omission of its governorship candidate from the final list released by the electoral commission.
The party had earlier maintained that the omission was not caused by any failure on its part to complete the required nomination processes, attributing the development to a computer glitch at INEC.
During the protest, the NDC leaders called on the commission to address the issue and ensure that the names of their candidates were included in the final list.
They insisted that the party had fulfilled the necessary requirements for the election and urged INEC to resolve the matter without further delay.
The party’s Public Relations Officer in Kano State, Yusif Fasaha, had earlier appealed to members and supporters to remain calm while the leadership engaged the electoral commission over the omission.
“I want to assure you that, as the PRO of the party, the problem is not from us,” Fasaha said in a statement made available to journalists shortly after INEC published the final list.
“We have consulted INEC, and they told us that the problem was from the computer and that they would rectify it.”
Fasaha expressed confidence that the commission would correct the omission and release an updated list containing the candidate’s name.
“So, everybody should remain calm. Between now and Monday, another list containing his name will be released,” he added.
The party spokesman maintained that Gwarzo had met the requirements for the governorship election, insisting that the NDC completed the necessary nomination procedures within the stipulated timeframe.
INEC’s final list for the Kano governorship election contained 17 candidates and their running mates from different political parties.
Among those included was Governor Abba Yusuf, who was listed as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with Murtala Sule-Garo as his running mate.
In Gombe State, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, was also omitted from the commission’s final list of governorship candidates despite being included in an earlier provisional list released on August 29.
Pantami had emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate following a rerun primary conducted on September 29, in which he secured 2,054 votes to defeat Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
His emergence followed a legal dispute over the party’s initial primary, which was nullified by a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe on May 26. The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary after a challenge to the process.
Pantami had previously sought the APC governorship ticket but left the party after it settled for Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as its consensus candidate.
His subsequent omission from INEC’s final list came amid questions over compliance with electoral requirements and the implications of the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment on Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The provisions address political parties’ membership registers and the eligibility of candidates whose names were not included in the registers submitted to INEC within the required period.
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the provisions and affirmed the commission’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.
INEC has maintained that political parties must comply with the relevant electoral requirements and that candidates affected by non-compliance cannot be substituted outside the provisions of the law.
Mohammed Haruna, an INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, previously explained that allowing parties to replace candidates in circumstances involving violations of electoral requirements could enable them to benefit from their own failure to comply with the law.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” Haruna said during an appearance on Trust TV.
