Appeal Court Overturns Ruling That KASIEC From Holding LG Elections In Kano

The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling by a Federal High Court in Kano that had nullified both the makeup of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KASIEC) and the local government elections it held on October 26, 2024.

In three separate but unanimous rulings delivered on Friday, a panel of three justices led by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill ruled that the Federal High Court had no legal authority to handle matters related to the formation of state electoral commissions or the qualifications of their members.

The appellate court upheld appeals filed by the Kano State Attorney General, the State House of Assembly, and KASIEC. It threw out the original lawsuits on the grounds that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction.

The proper venue for such cases, the appeal court said, is the Kano State High Court.

In a separate judgment, the Court of Appeal also reversed another ruling by the same Federal High Court that had rejected the list of local government election candidates submitted to KASIEC by the Musa Kwankwaso-led faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

The appeal court found that disputes over party leadership and candidate nominations were beyond the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction and could not be decided by the court.

Meanwhile, Kano State Police Command recently arrested 41 people in connection with the killing of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Rano, CSP Baba Ali.