The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) emerged victorious in all chairmanship and councillorship positions in Kano State’s local government election, held on Saturday. The party won across all 44 local government areas and 484 wards, securing a clean sweep.
Prof. Sani Lawan, Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), announced the results at the commission’s headquarters in Kano around 8 p.m. According to Lawan, the NNPP clinched all contested seats among the six political parties that participated in the election.
Kano State Governor, Kabir Yusuf, expressed his satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the election, commending residents for their orderly behavior. Speaking to reporters after voting in his local government area, Gwale, Yusuf described the election as one of the most transparent in Kano’s history and expressed hope that elected leaders would prioritize the people’s interests.
“When it comes to elections, there should be no impunity, and we should ensure people are allowed to freely exercise their franchise,” he said. He also urged the judiciary to maintain impartiality, stressing the importance of non-partisan legal oversight in electoral matters.
“Even though the Kano State Government is the only administration elected under the NNPP platform, we should not feel intimidated. Kano people are peace-loving, but they can respond if pushed to the wall. We saw what happened in Rivers, so we took proactive measures to prevent a similar situation here,” Yusuf added, while appealing to opposition parties to accept the outcome given NNPP’s strong voter support.
Despite NNPP’s dominance, the election faced challenges, including a low voter turnout and delays in the arrival of election materials. Our correspondent reported that voting was delayed in some areas, with polling beginning as late as 10:44 a.m. at the History and Culture Bureau polling station in Kano. The Tarauni PHC polling center, which hosted three polling units, opened on time but also experienced low turnout. However, at Gandun Albasa Special Primary School, where there were 21 polling units, more voters were seen in queues awaiting their turn.
Several voters expressed relief over the peaceful conduct of the election, contrasting with earlier concerns of potential unrest. “Many anticipated a crisis, but thankfully, it was peaceful,” one voter noted. Another resident commended the public for adhering to the movement restriction order, which further contributed to the orderly environment.
