Aspirants to the positions of Council Chairmen and Councilors in the forthcoming Kano State Local Government polls are to dole out a whopping sum of N10 million and five million Naira respectively, according to the State Election Commission.
This is just as the former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, accused the All Progressive Congress, APC, led-State Government of already appropriating the 27 Local Councils of the State, with the insistence of the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission, JSIEC, on the payments of N5 million and N3million chairmanship and councilorship aspirants interested in the local council elections.
The KANSIEC Chairman, Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, at the formal presentation of the election guidelines and time table on Thursday August 15, 2024, informed that aspirants must pay the stated sum as a precondition for qualification for the contest billed for November 30, 2024.
Handing over the guidelines to the representatives of various political Parties at the event, the KANSIEC boss noted that the document clearly spells out, all other pre-qualification conditionalities which, also, must be met by aspirants.
The Source reports that at its maiden briefing last month, the Kano State Electoral Umpire had informed that mandatory drug test will be a precondition for qualification by aspirants.
Reiterating the measure, Prof. Malunfashi on Thursday, warned that aspirants must not be established drug addicts and/or members of secret societies or bodies .
“Aspirants must not be bankrupt or ex-convicts, They must be physically and mentally healthy and obtain, at least, a Secondary School Certificate.
“Chairmanship aspirants must be 30 years and above,while Councilorship aspirants must have attained the age of 25.
“All aspirants must be registered and card carrying members of political parties”, the Commission Chairman stated.
Prof. Malunfashi announced that going by the time table, formal campaigns will commence on September 6, and end on October 31, 2024.
“During campaigns, we warn against disparaging and abusive comments. Personal attacks during campaigns are strongly discouraged as contained in the guidelines .
“You must be tolerant of one another. You must be civil and democratic in your campaigns. The campaigns should be issue-based ,and not personal attacks.
“We have pressing issues bedeviling this country such as poverty, infrastructural deficit, women and youth empowerment, and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups, among others.
“You should capitalize on these during the campaigns .We will not condone violence, as it contradicts election laws.
“Personal, oral and physical attacks are discouraged in the election and are punishable by law.
The Commission Chairman reaffirmed his earlier warning that he will not be available for any compromise deal from aspirants.
The Source reports that at his briefing in July, Prof Malunfashi had issued a stern order to aspirants not to approach him with compromising offers, insisting that his mission is to organize a free and fair election..
Writing on his Facebook account ,former Governor Lamido, lampooned the astronomical cost for participation in the Jigawa State Local Polls .
The onetime Foreign Affairs Minister, described the N5 million and N3 million being demanded by the JSIEC as a deliberate ploy by the APC- led state Government to scare opposition parties .
“From the look of things ,it appears the APC has already appropriated the 27 local Governments, even before the election.”
Following the landmark Supreme Court verdict of Thursday, June 20, 2024, which affirmed the financial autonomy of the Third Tier of Government, as well as a declaration that Federal Allocations to Councils under interim management should be halted, most State Governors have been in frenzy to organize Council Polls.
But in doing so, most of them have been contriving so many ingenious ways to keep their itching fingers in the Local Councils tilt.
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