The All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Action Congress (AAC), People’s Redemption Party (PRP), and eight other political parties have submitted candidates for the House of Assembly bye-elections to replace two members who died last month.
Other parties, according to the Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Abdu Zango, that have submitted candidates to his office include Accord Party, Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Good Party, Action Alliance, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Zango disclosed this while speaking to journalists after a stakeholders’ meeting in his office on Wednesday.
“We have received nominations as of yesterday, and whether others are coming is a matter for the national office of INEC,” he said.
Zango stated that preparations are in top gear, adding that the commission is ready and fully committed to conducting free, fair, and credible elections.
“We urge all, and particularly the citizens of Kano State, to come out en masse to exercise their franchise, and we will deliver on our promise of free, fair, and credible elections as always,” he said.
However, he warned that the deadline for submission of candidates was Wednesday, noting that most parties had submitted their nominations, while the uploading of candidates’ details would be done online at the INEC headquarters.
“So, right now, we will not be able to say how many political parties will finally participate. It is INEC headquarters that will determine that. But so far, we have received nominations from 10 political parties,” he said.
He added that beyond the political parties, INEC supervised the primaries conducted before now, and 10 parties have submitted their nominations as of the deadline, while the uploading process is being handled by the parties’ national headquarters in Abuja.
“The actual names and number of candidates will only be known at INEC headquarters after the uploading process is completed. The process is still ongoing and has not closed,” he said.
On the issue of the authentic NNPP participating in the elections, Zango noted that the responsibility of determining the valid candidates lies entirely with the legal department of INEC in Abuja.
He explained that the department would review all submissions uploaded and consider reports from officials who monitored the party primaries.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner also said that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise is ongoing, with the commission extending the exercise to ward levels, marketplaces, and schools to ensure more people obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) during the second phase.
He added that Kano State currently tops the revalidation exercise, with over 150,000 voters having revalidated their voter cards.
