Three major opposition parties are missing from the ballot as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts Saturday’s by-election in Kano.
The affected parties include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and a coalition involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Despite their absence, INEC said it is fully prepared to conduct a free, fair, and credible by-election in the Municipal and Ungogo state constituencies.
The off-season poll is being held to fill two vacant seats in the Kano State House of Assembly following the deaths of the former lawmakers last year.
At a recent media briefing, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Abdul Zango, assured journalists that all political parties were given equal opportunity to nominate candidates and that the commission was ready to ensure a transparent process.
However, the final list released by INEC cleared only nine parties to contest. These include Accord (A), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The commission has not publicly explained why the PDP, NNPP, and ADC are absent from the ballot. The affected parties, however, allege they were unfairly excluded.
The NNPP, which is divided into multiple factions in Kano, reportedly submitted several candidates for the two constituencies. A faction of the party accused INEC of refusing to recognise its nominees and vowed to challenge the decision in court.
Similarly, the Kano State chairman of the PDP, Yusuf Kibiya, alleged that the party was given only four days to conduct primaries and submit candidate names, a timeframe he described as insufficient and contrary to the spirit of the Electoral Act.
Both parties described the development as troubling for democratic participation and said they are considering legal options.
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