Barely four days before the Kano Local Government Areas election, a Federal High Court in the state has sacked Prof. Sani Malumfashi as the chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission. The court’s decision was based on the grounds that Prof. Malumfashi is a card-carrying member of a political party, which is contrary to the constitutional requirements.
The presiding judge, Simon Amobeda, gave the ruling on Tuesday in a matter filed by Aminu Aliyu Tiga and the All Progressives Congress. The court ruled that the defendants, including Prof. Malumfashi and five other members of the commission, are not qualified to hold their positions due to their partisan political affiliations.
The court cited sections 197 (1) (b) and 200 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001 as the basis for its decision. It ordered that the commission cannot conduct the 2024 Local Government Election in Kano State until qualified persons are duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the commission.
The court also nullified all actions taken by the commission in preparation for the election, including the issuance of election guidelines, screening of candidates, and the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms. Additionally, the court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to release or issue any electoral materials to the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission until the constitutional provisions are fully complied with.
