Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, Governor of Kano State, has described Saturday’s by-elections in the Municipal and Ungogo state constituencies as peaceful and free of “crisis, use of weapons, and any form of manipulation.”
In a statement issued through his spokesman, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Governor Yusuf commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their roles in maintaining order during the polls.
He said the calm atmosphere that prevailed across polling units reflected both the “growing political maturity of the people” and the effectiveness of the arrangements put in place to safeguard the exercise.
“I appreciate the people of Kano Municipal and Ungogo for their cooperation, discipline, and commitment to peaceful participation in the electoral process,” the Governor stated, adding that, “For the first time in recent history, we witnessed an election free of crisis, use of weapons, and any form of manipulation in Kano.”
Governor Yusuf further said the conduct of the polls demonstrated that the people of Kano are ready to “embrace issue-based politics anchored on dialogue, tolerance and respect for democratic values.”
He affirmed that his administration will continue to prioritise the safety of lives and property and will work with electoral bodies and security agencies to sustain transparency and credibility in future elections.
However, three major opposition parties — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) — were conspicuously absent from the official ballot papers in both constituencies.
INEC’s final list of contesting parties included nine other groups, such as the All Progressives Congress (APC), Accord (A), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), among others.
The NNPP reportedly failed to field candidates amid ongoing internal leadership disputes, while both the PDP and ADC were said to have effectively boycotted the poll.
Commenting on the absence, Senator Mushud El-Jibril Doguwa of the Boniface-led NNPP faction alleged that INEC refused to recognise his party’s candidates, saying, “We duly submitted our candidates for the Municipal and Ungogo constituencies, but INEC refused to recognise our party for reasons best known to them… This is a clear attempt to sideline us from the democratic process.”
Similarly, Alhaji Yusuf Kibiya, Kano State chairman of the PDP, accused INEC of undermining the spirit of the law by providing “only four days to conduct our primaries and submit the names of candidates”, a period he described as insufficient.
Observers at various polling units reported a noticeably low voter turnout, with many polling stations appearing largely deserted for much of the morning.
INEC officials were observed awaiting voters amid a prominent security presence, reflecting both the calm and the apathy that characterised the exercise.
Security agencies had imposed restrictions on movement ahead of the polls to maintain peace, with the police announcing a curfew to deter disruptions.
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