By Musa Baba Adamu
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has said it will engage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resolve the omission of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Kano State governorship candidates, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the commission’s final list of candidates.
The movement described the development as shocking, insisting that there was no apparent reason for the omission of the two candidates from the list ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Habibu Mohammed, spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, disclosed the group’s next line of action during an interview on Arise Television.
He said the movement would explore the provisions of the Electoral Act to seek redress and engage INEC over the matter.
According to Mohammed, Kwankwaso, a former deputy governor of Kano State, was duly registered with the NDC and met the stipulated deadline for the registration of candidates.
“It came as a shock because there had been no issue with INEC. Kwankwaso, a former deputy governor, is registered with the NDC and met the stipulated deadline,” he said.
He added that electoral provisions allow candidates whose names are omitted from the list to seek redress within 14 days.
“Electoral provisions give candidates 14 days to seek redress if their names are omitted from the list. We will explore that opportunity and engage with INEC,” Mohammed stated.
The Kwankwasiyya spokesperson said the movement was unaware of any court judgment or order that could have warranted the exclusion of the candidates.
“Actually, we believe there is no particular reason for the omission. INEC itself has not advanced any reason. We believe it may be an administrative error or something else because we do not have any pending judgment or court order,” he said.
Mohammed also argued that Kwankwaso’s previous service as deputy governor should put any concerns about his qualification into perspective, while maintaining that he was duly registered as an NDC member within the stipulated period.
“This is a man who has already served as a deputy governor, so we cannot even question his qualification. We also believe he was duly registered with the NDC within the stipulated period,” he added.
Despite expressing disappointment over the development, Mohammed said the movement remained confident that the issue could be resolved through the appropriate legal and administrative channels.
He stressed that the Kwankwasiyya Movement would pursue the matter lawfully rather than resort to actions outside the established electoral process.
“If he is not on INEC’s list, I believe the Kwankwasiyya Movement, being law-abiding and committed to doing things the right way, will explore that opportunity and engage INEC,” he said.
“We are confident that the matter will be resolved because we see no reason why it should be otherwise.”
The omission of Gwarzo and Kwankwaso from INEC’s final list has raised concerns within the NDC and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, which are seeking clarification and corrective action from the electoral commission.
The commission’s response to the planned engagement is expected to be crucial in determining the next steps available to the affected candidates.
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