Five candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State have accused influential figures within the party of orchestrating a campaign to frustrate their candidature ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

The candidates alleged that certain party officials were deploying protests, petitions and media campaigns to undermine their emergence, despite subsisting Federal High Court judgments affirming the candidature of two of them.

In a petition submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kano office addressed to Chairman of the Commission, the candidates urged the electoral umpire to resist what they described as calculated attempts to intimidate its officials and interfere with pending judicial proceedings.

The petition, signed by their counsel, Bola Aidi, SAN, was written in response to an earlier petition dated October 16, 2026, reportedly submitted by Tahir Chambers on behalf of the Kano State chapter of the NDC against an INEC official, Mrs. Hauwa Buhari.

The five affected candidates are Abdulmajid Isah Umar (Gwale), Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada (Kano Municipal), Barr. Ismaeel Idris Sani (Kumbotso), Hon. Ibrahim Bashiru Bango (Sumaila/Takai) and Hon. Nasir Alli Ahmed (Nasarawa).

The petition came few days after some members of the party under Kwankwasiyya Movement submitted similar complaints accusing an official of the commission of tampering with the party’s list.

The Kwankwasiyya movement also demanded the restoration of the party’s Kano Governorship candidate Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and his running mate Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, already omitted on the commission’s final list.

However, the candidates insisted their emergence came through the prescribed nomination processes of the party, including the purchase of expression of interest and nomination forms, screening, clearance and participation in the relevant primaries.

According to the petition addressed to INEC Chairman, the petitioner alleged that certain officials of the Kano NDC chapter, acting at the instance of an influential political leader dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries, were determined to prevent the candidates from contesting the elections.

The senior advocate, attorney to the five concerned candidates, maintained that the nomination of his clients had received recognition from the national leadership of the party, which subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel INEC to upload their names.

Tahir Chambers cited Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1628/2026, reportedly instituted by the NDC itself, in which the party sought judicial intervention to secure the recognition of its nominated candidates. He claimed that the party obtained an interim order directing INEC to upload the names of the affected candidates, among others.

He expressed concern that some individuals claiming to represent the Kano chapter of the same party were now challenging candidates whose recognition the national leadership had previously sought through judicial proceedings.

“It is therefore remarkable that persons purporting to act for the Kano State Chapter of the same political party now seek to discredit the candidature of persons whose recognition and uploading the party itself had previously sought through judicial proceedings,” the petition stated.

The counsel further disclosed that the Federal High Court sitting in Kano had, on October 14, 2026, delivered judgments affirming the candidature of two of the five affected candidates.

He alleged that protests subsequently organised in Kano and Abuja were reactions to the judicial pronouncements and formed part of efforts to influence the remaining cases.

According to him, the Kwankwasiyya’s petition against Mrs. Buhari, who was accused of issuing multiple inconsistent and undated monitoring reports concerning the NDC primaries, was another dimension of the alleged campaign.

The senior advocate, however, urged INEC not to dismiss the allegations against its official without investigation, insisting that any inquiry must be impartial, transparent and based on credible evidence.

He argued that the existence of conflicting documents did not automatically establish that reports supporting his clients’ candidature were fraudulent.

The Attorney maintained that judicial decisions must be respected unless overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction, stressing that political pressure could not substitute for established legal procedures.

The candidates consequently urged INEC to preserve all original monitoring reports, official correspondence, electronic records and other documents relating to the disputed NDC primaries in Kano State.

They also demanded that the commission recognise and give appropriate effect to the subsisting Federal High Court judgments, subject to any lawful order staying, varying or setting them aside.