Kano LG Poll Holds Today, State Govt Restricts Movement

Kano state government has restricted vehicular movements and business activities to ensure hitch-free conduct of the election.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, the commissioner, legal and voters’ matters for KANSIEC, Muntari Garba, called on the people to come out today to exercise their franchise.

He said, “I want to send a goodwill message to the peace-loving people of Kano that based on the ruling of Justice Ma’aji of the State High Court today (yesterday), there is no going back on the local government election in Kano tomorrow (today).

“KANSIEC is going to conduct the election God willing. There is nobody, or any political party or association or institution that can stop KANSIEC from conducting the elections.

“So, I want to use this medium to call on the good people of Kano and political parties that passed our screening to inform their supporters to come out and exercise their constitutional rights to vote,” he stated.

Similarly, the commissioner for information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, said the restriction on movement was aimed at ensuring peaceful and orderly conduct of the election which would be held in all 484 wards across the 44 LGAs of the state.

In a statement, Dantiye said, “Persons on official election duties and those engaged in essential services are however exempted from the restriction.

“All eligible voters are advised to come out to exercise their civic rights by participating peacefully in the electoral process to strengthen democracy in the state.”

Meanwhile, the Kano State Government, in consultation with security agencies, has placed restrictions on movement of persons and vehicles across the state from 12: 00 midnight on Friday to 6:00 pm on Saturday.

The government, he said, reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and peaceful election, and therefore urges all citizens to comply with the movement restriction in the interest of public safety and electoral integrity.

Also, Governor Abba Yusuf has presented flags of the NNPP to 44 chairmanship candidates of the party in the election, reiterating that there is ‘no retreat, no surrender’ over the poll.

The presentation was held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium on Thursday which witnessed a mammoth crowd.

The spokesperson to the governor, Sunusi Bature, in a statement made available to journalists on Friday, quoted the governor as emphasising that the state at the moment would not allow anybody to destabilise the existing peace being enjoyed by the citizenry, noting that the state government and KANSIEC had all the constitutional backings to hold the election.