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Court sacks Kano electoral chair ahead of LG poll
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Barely four days to the Kano Local Government election, a Federal High Court in Kano, on Tuesday, disqualified Prof Sani Malumfashi as the chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission.
The presiding Judge, Simon Amobeda, in a ruling in a matter filed by Aminu Aliyu Tiga and the All Progressives Congress, held that the chairman was a political party card-carrying member.
The court also sacked five members of the commission for their ties with a political party in the state.
The plaintiff had alleged that the commission chairman and the members were card-carrying members of the New Nigeria People’s Party.
Following the ruling, there was anxiety over the likely conduct of the local government election on Saturday, October 26.
The electoral body had fixed October 26 to conduct the council polls in the 44 local government areas of the state.
Efforts to reach the sacked chairman through his telephone by The PUNCH failed as of the time of filing this report, as his telephone line was switched off.
Also, attempts to get the reaction of the state government, the NNPP and even the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party on the development were not fruitful.
The defendants in the suit are KANSIEC, Kano State House of Assembly, the Attorney General, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Director, Department of State Services, Commissioner of Police, Kano command, State Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kano State Command, Anas Muhammad Mustapha, Mukhtar Garba Dandago, Isyaku Ibrahim Kunya, Kabir Jibril Zakirai and Amina Inuwa Fagge.
The court ordered that the ninth to 14th defendants, being card-carrying members of the NNPP and in partisan politics, contrary to Section 197(1)(b) and Section 200 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, were not qualified to be the chairman and members of the first defendant.
The court restrained the first defendant from conducting the 2024 local government election in respect of 44 local governments in Kano State until and unless qualified persons were duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the first defendant.
It ruled that the ninth defendant, not being an officer in the Kano State Civil Service not below the rank of director before he was appointed secretary of the first defendant, was not qualified to be appointed to the position, under Section 14 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001.
“That, the 1st defendant, whose composition of members was made in contravention of constitutional provisions of section 197 (1) (b) and section 200 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, cannot validly and Competently conduct Local Government Election 2024 in respect of 44 local governments in Kano State until and unless qualified persons are duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the commission in line with relevant extent law,” the court ruled.
“That, whatever the first defendant did or has done or is doing in preparation for the 2024 local government election in Kano State, such as issuance of election guidelines, circulars, screening of candidates, sale of nomination and expression of interest forms, whichever and howsoever, are null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
“That the 9th-14h defendants are forthwith disqualified and removed from their positions as chairman and members of the defendants.
“That the first defendant is forthwith restrained from conducting the 2024 local government election in respect of 44 local governments in Kano State, until and unless qualified persons are duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the first defendant,” the court further ruled.
Justice Amobeda also ruled that the fourth defendant was forthwith directed not to release/issue register of voters or any electoral material or materials in respect of the 44 LGs in Kano State to the first defendant for the purpose of conducting 2024 LG election in the state until and unless the provisions of sections 197(1)(b), 199(2) and 200(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Sections 4(b) and 14(1) of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001 are fully complied with in appointing qualified persons as chairman and members of the first defendant.
“Similarly, the court ordered that, where the fourth defendant has already released or issued a register of voters or any electoral material or materials in respect of the 44 LGs in Kano State to the first defendant for the purpose of conducting 2024 Local Government Election in the state, the fourth defendant shall forthwith recall or retrieve such register of voters or electoral material or materials from the first defendant, and custody same until the first defendant is properly constituted in full compliance with the provisions of sections 197(1)(b), 199(2) and 200(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Sections 4(b) and 14(1) of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday defended his administration’s decision to remove the Federal Capital Territory Administration from the Treasury Single Account, saying the policy has provided the financial flexibility needed to accelerate infrastructure development across Abuja.
The President also dismissed claims that the executive was interfering in the affairs of the judiciary through the provision of infrastructure, insisting that supporting the justice sector is a constitutional responsibility of government.
Tinubu spoke while inaugurating the new Office Annex of the Body of Benchers and 10 units of four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja.
He was represented at both events by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr George Akume.
Speaking on the decision to exempt the FCTA from the TSA, Tinubu said the move had enabled the administration to execute projects more efficiently by eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He said, “When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account, there were sceptics. There were those who questioned the wisdom of that financial liberation.
“But we did it because we knew that local administration must have the liquidity, the speed and the corporate flexibility to interface with financial institutions and deliver critical projects without bureaucratic strangulation. Today, the results are glaring.”
Tinubu said the visible transformation in the Federal Capital Territory had justified the policy, crediting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for delivering on the administration’s development agenda.
“When I appointed Minister Wike, I gave him a clear mandate to transform Abuja into a modern, functional and world-class capital city.
“Over the last three years, the scale of infrastructural development, urban renewal and project delivery in the FCT has been unmatched,” he said.
The President also commended Wike for resolving the long-standing land documentation challenge facing the Nigerian Law School by facilitating the issuance of its Certificate of Occupancy after years without a formal title.
At the inauguration of the Body of Benchers’ Office Annex, Tinubu described the project as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law, democratic governance and institutional independence.
Responding to criticisms that the executive was encroaching on the independence of the judiciary by constructing facilities for the legal community, the President rejected the claim.
“Let me be absolutely clear: the provision of infrastructure for the legal community and the judiciary is not an interference in the independence of another arm of government.
“Rather, it is a constitutional and collaborative duty of the executive to ensure that those who interpret and uphold our laws are provided with an environment that fosters operational efficiency and excellence,”he said.
At the Nigerian Law School, Tinubu said quality infrastructure remained essential to producing competent legal professionals, stressing that the government was committed to improving learning and living conditions within the institution.
“We cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure,” he said.
The President described the newly inaugurated staff quarters as the first phase of broader investments at the Law School, disclosing that the Federal Government was funding the construction of a new auditorium, additional student hostels and the digitisation of the institution’s academic and administrative operations.
He added that similar interventions were ongoing across the justice sector, including the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judges.
According to him, the projects reflected the administration’s determination to strengthen institutions that sustain democracy rather than merely constructing physical infrastructure.
“We promised not just to govern, but to reform. We promised to rebuild the broken structures of our institutional foundations,” Tinubu said.
He maintained that the projects demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to translating its promises into measurable results through sustained investment in critical national institutions.
The Federal Government incurred an electricity tariff subsidy of N358.32 billion in the first quarter of 2026 as it continued to bridge the gap between cost-reflective electricity tariffs and the rates paid by consumers, according to the latest report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In its First Quarter 2026 report released on Monday, NERC said the subsidy represented a 14.44 per cent decline from the N418.79 billion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Commission attributed the reduction mainly to lower electricity offtake by distribution companies (DisCos), rather than improvements in tariff recovery.
NERC explained that because electricity tariffs remain below cost-reflective levels, the Federal Government continues to subsidise the difference between the actual cost of power generation and the approved tariffs charged to consumers.
Under the current Distribution Companies’ Remittance Obligation (DRO) framework, the subsidy covers part of the generation costs payable by DisCos to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), while the Federal Ministry of Finance settles the outstanding balance.
According to the report, electricity generation companies invoiced a total of N689.72 billion for power supplied to the 11 electricity distribution companies during the quarter. However, only N331.40 billion was billed to the DisCos under the DRO arrangement, leaving the Federal Government to cover the remaining N358.32 billion.
NERC said the subsidy accounted for 51.95 per cent of the total generation invoice during the period, compared with 52.03 per cent in the preceding quarter.
“The key driver of this reduction in the Federal Government’s subsidy obligation is the decrease in energy offtake by the DisCos by 8.56 per cent between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026,” the Commission stated.
The report also showed that the 11 DisCos collected N597.56 billion out of the N756.93 billion billed to customers during the quarter, representing a collection efficiency of 78.95 per cent, slightly below the 79.36 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.
Among the distribution companies, Ikeja Electric recorded the highest collection efficiency at 90.0 per cent, followed by Eko DisCo with 89.64 per cent, Benin DisCo with 85.16 per cent, Port Harcourt DisCo with 81.22 per cent, and Abuja DisCo with 80.90 per cent.
Kaduna DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency at 45.81 per cent.
NERC noted that while Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt and Benin distribution companies improved their collection efficiencies compared with the previous quarter, the remaining six DisCos recorded declines, with Enugu DisCo posting the sharpest drop.
President Bola Tinubu is currently in a private meeting with Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and former governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Monday meeting is taking place at a time of rising political tension in the North-Central state.
No official details have been released, as discussions are ongoing behind closed doors.
The engagement comes amid growing divisions within the Benue chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where Governor Alia and allies of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, are reportedly struggling for control of the party structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
It also follows recent political shifts in the state, with Senator Suswam’s name surfacing after the APC senatorial primaries as a notable figure ahead of the next election cycle.
While it remains unconfirmed whether the state’s political crisis is on the agenda, the timing of the meeting has fueled speculation that the Presidency may be stepping in to calm tensions, reconcile rival blocs, and encourage unity among key political actors in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not released any official statement on the outcome of the discussions.
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