Voter apathy, ballot snatching mar Kano LG poll

Voter apathy, ballot snatching and late arrival of materials characterized Saturday’s council election polls held in defiance of the order of the federal High Court in Kano.

Aggrieved voters in parts of Gwale, Kunchi, Warawa and Bichi local councils of the state who were unhappy with the conduct of officials of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) vented their anger by destroying ballot papers.

In some of the polling units, aggrieved youths even went on to set fire to voting materials due to the lackadaisical attitudes of KANSIEC officials.

At polling units in Gwale, including that of the Governor, Shuwaki, in Kunchi local and Jemagu in Warawa Local Government council, scores of eligible voters described the exercise as a sham and tore ballot papers as they chanted: “Bamayi, Bamayi, Barayi ne, Barayi ne”.

A similar scenario played out in Lamba, Bichi local council as youths took advantage of the absence of security personnel to disrupt the exercise and set ablaze ballot papers.

The APC while distancing itself from the poll called on the state government to adhere to the directive of the Federal high court in Kano presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda which restrained KANSIEC from holding the council poll after sacking the Chairman, secretary and commissioners of the agency.

The party noted that the call by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on NNPP supporters to ignore the court directive was a clear case of an invitation to anarchy and lawlessness.

Justice Amobeda also restrained INEC from issuing voter’s registers to KANSIEC while ordering the security agencies including police, DSS, and civil defense from participating in the proposed election.

The court ruled that the KANSIEC chairman and other members of the Commission are card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and also are not civil servants above grade level 14.

The Court held that the defendants being card-carrying members of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and in partisan politics is contrary to Section 197 (1) (b) and Section 200 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and are not qualified to hold such positions in the state electoral body.