NDC Candidate, Gwarzo, Accuses INEC Of Secret Dealings Over Missing Name

The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, has stated that the omission of his name and that of his running mate from the list of candidates for the forthcoming governorship election came as a surprise to him.

He asserted that the party complied with all the requirements stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for participation in the election.

Gwarzo accused the electoral body of engaging in questionable dealings, alleging that the it has  failed to provide any convincing explanation for excluding his name and that of his running mate.

Naija News reports that the NDC flag bearer shared his reservations during an interview on Arise News.

According to Gwarzo, he emerged as the NDC’s consensus governorship candidate in Kano State and encountered no objections or complications regarding his candidacy before the publication of the list.

He said the party subsequently approached INEC to seek clarification over the omission but received no satisfactory response from the commission.

Gwarzo disclosed that they later learnt that some individuals had approached the Kano State High Court to challenge his candidacy and were seeking an interim order to prevent the publication of his name.

He, however, questioned why INEC had already excluded their names from the October 10 list before the court proceedings and the subsequent order restraining the commission from publishing them.

The NDC candidate further explained that a court case was filed on October 17, while the court issued an order on October 27 directing INEC not to publish their names as governorship candidates.

He said the timing of the events had raised serious questions about the commission’s handling of the matter, particularly because the omission occurred before the court order was issued.

The politician said the commission’s failure to clarify the situation from the beginning had deepened their suspicion about the circumstances surrounding the omission.

Expressing his dissatisfaction, Gwarzo said, “There appears to be an understanding behind the scenes between INEC and people with other interests.”

He described the situation as disturbing, insisting that the commission should be transparent in its dealings with political parties and candidates, particularly in matters affecting their constitutional rights to participate in elections.