INEC Is Working With Kano Govt; We Found Out A Senior Advocate From APC Arranged The Petition—Gwarzo

According to a report by Arise News on Sunday, November 1, 2026, the political landscape in Kano State has heated up following allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.

He accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of working with state government officials to undermine his candidacy.

Gwarzo raised the allegations while discussing the disappearance of his name and that of his running mate from the commission’s official list of candidates.

He maintained that his candidacy emerged through a transparent consensus process in Kano State.

He also insisted that the process complied with the requirements of both his party and the electoral commission.

However, concerns arose when INEC released its initial list of candidates on October 10 without including their names.

“That is also our worry, and that is what is disturbing us. INEC released names on October 10, but for no reason whatsoever, our names were missing. That is my name as the NDC governorship candidate and that of my running mate.

“We asked why, but there was no explanation whatsoever from INEC. We believe we were in full compliance with all the INEC requirements. We were also in full compliance with all the party requirements regarding our candidacy,” Gwarzo stated.

The candidate said he encountered no obstacles during the consensus process leading up to the October 10 publication. He added that his inquiries to INEC did not produce any satisfactory explanation for the omission.

The matter later took a legal turn following the filing of a court case seeking an interim injunction to prevent the publication of their names.

Gwarzo questioned the sequence of events, arguing that the timeline raised suspicions about the reasons for his exclusion.

“A week after, we were made to understand that some people had filed a petition at the Federal High Court in Kano State. They were seeking an interim injunction through an ex parte order to stop my name from being published among the candidates in the state.

“If you look at October 10, our names were missing. I cannot give any cogent reason whatsoever. On October 17, a case was filed. On October 27, ten days later, the judge of the Federal High Court, Kumu, gave an ex parte order that our names should not be published,” he said.

Gwarzo further questioned why INEC failed to publish their names on October 10, before the court case was filed.

He also challenged the commission’s decision to explain the omission only on October 29, when it reportedly cited a court order.

“Now, what is beating our imagination is this: In the first place, on October 10, why did INEC refuse to publish our names? Why did INEC have to wait until October 29 to come out and tell the whole world, including those of us concerned, that my name was not published because there was an ex parte order from the court? Why was it missing on October 10?” he asked.

The NDC candidate argued that the timeline raised questions about whether there had been a prior arrangement to prevent him from contesting the election.

He alleged that political interests might have influenced the handling of his candidacy. Gwarzo also claimed there was an understanding between some individuals and the electoral commission.

“So this is what is telling us that there is some kind of hanky-panky deal. Somehow, there seems to be some under-the-table understanding between [the parties] and some vested interests,” he alleged.

Gwarzo subsequently accused INEC of allegedly working with officials of the Kano State Government to keep his name off the candidates list.

He said his investigations had linked individuals associated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the legal action challenging his candidacy.

“That is why we are saying it appears INEC is working in tandem with Kano State Government officials. We have investigated and found out that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria from the APC and a state assistant legal adviser of the APC were the people who went and arranged for the petition at the Federal High Court in the state.

“That is what convinces us beyond any reasonable doubt that the state government is fully involved in this hanky-panky and possibly veru possibly with the active support of INEC,” he stated.

Watch the video starting from 4:05 to 8:15

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