The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State has announced its decision to challenge the outcome of the Tsanyawa/Ghari State Assembly re-run election in court, rejecting the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner.
Kano State NNPP Chairman, Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, made this known while addressing the press, alleging that the election was marred by manipulation and irregularities that disenfranchised legitimate voters.
"The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in Kano State has acknowledged the tremendous achievements recorded by the party in Kano on the re-run and by-elections at Tsanyawa/Ghari and Shanono/Bagwai state constituencies, respectively," Dungurawa stated.
"While applauding the voters of the respective constituencies, the party wishes to inform the general public that the manipulations orchestrated against the candidate in Tsanyawa/Ghari re-run election cannot be condoned. Therefore, the party rejected the election results of Tsanyawa/Ghari, which was declared at the INEC Headquarters in Kano," he added.
According to the NNPP chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) canceled all 10 polling units that the Appeal Court had previously nullified and ordered fresh elections for. He claimed that voters were denied their right to vote despite turning out massively to support the NNPP candidate.
Alleged Procedural Irregularities
Dungurawa raised concerns about the declaration process, noting that election results should have been announced at the constituency's collation center rather than at INEC headquarters in the state capital.
"In ideal circumstances, elections are supposed to be declared at the collation centre within the constituency, but INEC decided to make the declaration at its headquarters in the state capital, which gave room for unpatriotic politicians to connive with INEC and cancel all the polling units in contention," he alleged.
The NNPP chairman further claimed that INEC reverted to the old election results that had been successfully challenged in court, which had led to the court ordering the re-run election in the first place.
"It is very important to know that all presiding officers at the Tsanyawa/Ghari polling units have already signed their election results at their respective collation centers, and only the presiding officers have the power to cancel elections – not at the INEC Headquarters," Dungurawa emphasized.
Contrasting Outcomes in Different Constituencies
The NNPP chairman contrasted the situation in Tsanyawa/Ghari with the Shanono/Bagwai by-election, where the party secured victory. He suggested that the difference in outcomes was due to the proper declaration of results at collation centers in the latter case.
"Furthermore, credible election was held in the Shanono/Bagwai by-election and if not because the Shanono/Bagwai results were declared at collation centers, APC might have attempted to change the narratives," he stated.
Despite the controversy, Dungurawa acknowledged the role of security agencies in providing a peaceful environment for both the re-run and by-elections.
The NNPP has vowed to continue fighting against what it describes as "injustice, favoritism, election manipulation" and attempts to disenfranchise voters in Kano State.
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