A Federal High Court in Kano has dismissed an application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking to halt the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) from conducting local government elections.
The APC, along with Hon. Aminu Aliyu Tiga, had filed a motion ex parte on September 20, requesting the court to issue an interim injunction to stop the council election scheduled for October 26, 2024, across the 44 local government areas.
The plaintiffs also requested that the court direct all parties to maintain the status quo and prevent KANSIEC from proceeding with election preparations until a motion on notice could be heard.
They further sought permission for a court bailiff to serve the necessary legal documents to KANSIEC and other defendants, including the Kano State House of Assembly and the Attorney General, via the Attorney General’s office.
However, in his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Simon Amobeda refused to grant the interim injunction that would have delayed the election process.
He allowed the APC to notify KANSIEC and the other defendants about the court proceedings and abridged the timeline for hearing the substantive application to five days from the date of service.
The judge set the hearing for October 4, 2024, and emphasized the need for all parties to avoid actions that could prejudice the case.
This decision follows an earlier ruling by Justice Ado Maaji of the Kano State High Court, which had issued an interim injunction restraining the APC, PDP, NNPP, and 16 other political parties from interfering with KANSIEC’s statutory responsibility to organize the council elections.
