[BREAKING] Kano LG polls: APC urges court to stop INEC from releasing voter register

The major opposition political party in Kano, the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday instituted a fresh suit against the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KANSIEC, before the Federal High Court sitting in Kano.

The party is asking the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing voter register for the conduct of the council poll.

The plaintiffs, APC and the party Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, instituted the suit through their counsel, Ismail Abdulaziz.

They also sought an interlocutory application to restrain the state electoral body from continuing with the process and conduct of the council election slated for October 26.

Defendants joined in the suit include the Kano State Attorney-General; Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KANSIEC; Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF; KANSIEC Chairman, Sani Lawan, and other members.

Abdulaziz said, “We are asking for the court to interpret some provisions of the constitution, KANSIEC guidelines, the law itself in seeking whether KANSIEC is a revenue-generating agency and considering that the N9 million and N4 million requested to be paid by chairmanship and councillorship candidates by KANSIEC were exorbitant.

“We want the court to determine whether KANSIEC will be impartial looking at present members that constituted the commission.

“We are also seeking the court to order INEC not to release election materials such as voter register to KANSIEC until the commission abide by the provision of the constitution.

“We now sought for interlocutory injunction to restrain the continuation of the process and conduct of the election. The defendants did not receive our processes and the court adjourned till next Friday so that all the parties to file their responses,” Abdulaziz said.

Moving the application before the Presiding Judge, Justice Simon Amobeda, on Friday, the court adjourned the matter till October 11, and ordered the plaintiffs to serve the defendants.