Five candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State have accused influential figures within the party of orchestrating a campaign to frustrate their candidature ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The candidates alleged that certain party officials were deploying protests, petitions and media campaigns to undermine their emergence, despite subsisting Federal High Court judgments affirming the candidature of two of them.
In a petition addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, the candidates urged the electoral umpire to resist what they described as calculated attempts to intimidate its officials and interfere with pending judicial proceedings.
The petition, signed by their counsel, Bola Aidi, SAN, was written in response to an earlier petition dated October 16, 2026, reportedly submitted by Tahir Chambers on behalf of the Kano State chapter of the NDC against an INEC official, Mrs. Hauwa Buhari.
The five affected candidates are Abdulmajid Isah Umar (Gwale), Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada (Kano Municipal), Barr. Ismaeel Idris Sani (Kumbotso), Hon. Ibrahim Bashiru Bango (Sumaila/Takai) and Hon. Nasir Alli Ahmed (Nasarawa).
According to the petition, the candidates emerged through the prescribed nomination processes of the party, including the purchase of expression of interest and nomination forms, screening, clearance and participation in the relevant primaries.
Their counsel alleged that certain officials of the Kano NDC chapter, acting at the instance of an influential political leader dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries, were determined to prevent the candidates from contesting the elections.
The senior advocate maintained that the candidates’ nomination had received recognition from the national leadership of the party, which subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel INEC to upload their names.
He cited Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1628/2026, reportedly instituted by the NDC itself, in which the party sought judicial intervention to secure the recognition of its nominated candidates.
Aidi claimed that the party obtained an interim order directing INEC to upload the names of the affected candidates, among others.
He expressed concern that some individuals claiming to represent the Kano chapter of the same party were now challenging candidates whose recognition the national leadership had previously sought through judicial proceedings.
“It is therefore remarkable that persons purporting to act for the Kano State Chapter of the same political party now seek to discredit the candidature of persons whose recognition and uploading the party itself had previously sought through judicial proceedings,” the petition stated.
The counsel further disclosed that the Federal High Court sitting in Kano had, on October 14, 2026, delivered judgments affirming the candidature of two of the five affected candidates.
He alleged that protests subsequently organised in Kano and Abuja were reactions to the judicial pronouncements and formed part of efforts to influence the remaining cases.
According to him, the petition against Mrs. Buhari, who was accused of issuing multiple inconsistent and undated monitoring reports concerning the NDC primaries, was another dimension of the alleged campaign.
The senior advocate, however, urged INEC not to dismiss the allegations against its official without investigation, insisting that any inquiry must be impartial, transparent and based on credible evidence.
He argued that the existence of conflicting documents did not automatically establish that reports supporting his clients’ candidature were fraudulent.
“While no official of INEC is above legitimate scrutiny or investigation, the Commission must be careful not to permit its disciplinary and administrative mechanisms to become instruments of political persecution against officials merely because the contents of electoral monitoring records do not accord with the wishes of certain political interests,” he stated.
Aidi also warned against attempts to influence judicial officers handling the remaining disputes through public demonstrations and media campaigns.
He maintained that judicial decisions must be respected unless overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction, stressing that political pressure could not substitute for established legal procedures.
The counsel cited Sections 158(1) and 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in support of INEC’s institutional independence in personnel matters and the obligation to enforce decisions of the Federal High Court.
He disclosed that his clients had taken steps to involve the Nigeria Police Force in investigating alleged threats, intimidation and possible unlawful interference with judicial proceedings.
However, he clarified that the candidates were not opposed to peaceful protests or the constitutional right of citizens to petition relevant authorities.
“Our Clients do not seek to prevent any person from exercising the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, lawful protest or petition. Their concern is directed strictly at any unlawful conduct or intimidation that may accompany or underlie such activities,” he explained.
The candidates consequently urged INEC to preserve all original monitoring reports, official correspondence, electronic records and other documents relating to the disputed NDC primaries in Kano State.
They also demanded that the commission recognise and give appropriate effect to the subsisting Federal High Court judgments, subject to any lawful order staying, varying or setting them aside.
Other demands included maintaining neutrality between competing political interests, protecting electoral officials against improper pressure and refraining from administrative actions capable of prejudicing the remaining court cases.
Aidi warned that allowing political interests to overturn documented nomination processes or subsisting judicial decisions through protests and petitions could set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s electoral system.
“It would constitute a dangerous precedent if persons dissatisfied with the outcome of party primaries or judicial proceedings could, through orchestrated protests, social media campaigns and petitions against electoral officials, secure administrative outcomes contrary to the documented nomination processes or subsisting judicial decisions,” he said.
He urged INEC to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the electoral rights of the five candidates were not sacrificed to satisfy the political preferences of any individual or faction.
The allegations against the Kano NDC officials and the INEC officer remain disputed claims contained in the respective petitions.
