The court has barred KANSIEC from imposing N10 million and N5 million nomination fees for the Kano LG elections, impacting the upcoming polls.
An interim order has been issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja, restraining Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) from imposing nomination fees of N10 million on aspiring chairmanship candidates and N5 million for councillorship aspirants prior to local government elections.
In response to an ex-parte application by the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), Justice Emeka Nwite issued a ruling on Wednesday.
Both parties contended that the considerable charges were unfair and impeded democratic involvement.
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The court has stated in its order that the Defendant is prohibited from imposing and collecting N10,000,000 and N5,000,00 as fees for candidates competing for Chairman/Vice Chairman and Councillorship positions during the upcoming local elections scheduled on November 30th of 2024 or any date beforehand.
This prohibition shall remain valid until there’s a verdict based on Originating Summons filed by Plaintiffs after hearing it completely.
On August 15th, 2024, KANSIEC Chairman Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi revealed the costs of non-refundable fees for the upcoming elections.
Enforcement of these fees has been halted by the court’s decision until a final hearing scheduled for September 25, 2024