Three leading opposition political parties have been excluded from the ballot in Saturday’s bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano State.
The affected parties include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and a coalition linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Despite their absence, INEC has reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a free, fair, and credible election in the Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies.
The bye-election is being held to fill two vacant seats in the Kano State House of Assembly following the deaths of the lawmakers who previously represented the constituencies last year.
At an earlier media briefing, Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdul Zango, had assured journalists that the commission had provided a level playing field for all political parties to participate.
He stated that every party was given equal opportunity to nominate candidates and expressed confidence in the commission’s readiness to conduct a transparent and credible exercise.
However, the final list of candidates released by INEC showed that only nine political parties were approved to participate. The list excluded the PDP, NNPP, and ADC.
The parties cleared to contest 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).
INEC has yet to provide an official explanation for the exclusion of the major opposition parties.
Meanwhile, the affected parties have criticised the electoral body, accusing it of deliberately preventing them from exercising their constitutional rights.
The NNPP, which is currently divided into three factions in Kano State, reportedly submitted six different candidates for the two constituencies.
Reacting to the development, a faction of the party led by Boniface, through Senator Mushud El-Jibril Doguwa, alleged that INEC unjustly refused to recognise its candidates.
He said the party had properly submitted its candidates for the election but accused the commission of excluding them without clear justification. He described the
Major Opposition Parties Missing from Kano Bye-Election Ballot as INEC Proceeds with Poll
