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Hundreds of Kwankwasiyya Movement supporters on Friday protested at the Kano State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the exclusion of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from the commission’s list for the 2027 election.
The protesters also accused an INEC official of allegedly colluding with unauthorised individuals to facilitate the substitution of some candidates through documents bearing suspected forged signatures.
Led by the NDC deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, the demonstrators submitted a petition demanding Gwarzo’s reinstatement and an investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Speaking to journalists, Kwankwasiyya Movement spokesperson, Dr Habib Mohammed, claimed that several letters containing suspected forged signatures had been submitted to the electoral commission.
“We are also petitioning against a staff here, whom we believe colluded with some unauthorized people to hide a decision which led to substitution of some of our candidates,” Mohammed said.
He called on INEC to investigate the allegation and establish how the disputed substitutions occurred.
Mohammed warned that the movement would consider further action if its complaints were not adequately addressed.
Receiving the petition, Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, assured the protesters that their grievances would be forwarded to INEC’s national headquarters for consideration.
“Basically, what they came to do is to present a complaint about the omission of their candidates. INEC has made the point very clear, the reason for the omission and the fact that there is a window of appeal that has been provided up to the 24th of October,” Zango said.
He explained that political parties whose candidates were omitted from the published list had until October 24, 2026, to challenge the decision.
“We received all the complaints and assured the delegation that their petition will receive the necessary attention and we are going to forward it to our national headquarters for consideration,” he stated.
Zango also commended the protesters for conducting themselves peacefully.
“I also commended them because that is the most orderly way of presenting such complaints rather than resorting to violence,” he added.
The electoral commissioner reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to neutrality in the electoral process.
The allegations of forgery and collusion remain unproven, and the commission has not announced any findings against the accused official.
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