Governor Yusuf Faces 16 Rivals After Main Challenger Left Off List

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, is on the final list of governorship candidates in Kano. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released this list on Saturday. But the big topic in the state is the absence of Aminu Abdulsalam from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on the list.

His name missing has shocked many in Kano. This has left the NDC trying to find legal and administrative ways to fix this problem before the important gubernatorial election.

INEC did not explain why Mr Abdulsalam was disqualified. Sources say it might be due to some issues with paperwork or legal challenges before the elections.

NDC members and supporters in Kano are upset about this situation. Mr Abdulsalam is currently on a trip to Saudi Arabia and has not yet commented on this issue.

But Nasara Radio reported that the Kwankwasiyya movement believes his exclusion was a mistake. They said INEC is working to correct it. According to the radio, an NDC leader, Yusuf Kofarmata, mentioned that Mr Abdulsalam registered as a member on time.

He added that Mr Abdulsalam's name is in the membership register submitted to INEC. The party also uploaded his name to INEC’s portal. They noted that INEC had confirmed that leaving him off the list was an error.

Mr Kofarmata encouraged Kwankwasiyya members and NDC supporters to keep campaigning and to pray for success in the elections.

List of Cleared Candidates and Their Parties

1. Gashash Mukhtar, Accord (A)
2. Haruna Abdullahi, Action Alliance (AA)
3. Sharif Abba, African Action Congress (AAC)
4. Ibrahim Al’amin, African Democratic Congress (ADC)
5. Muhammad Abdullahi, Action Democratic Party (ADP)
6. Yusuf Abba Kabir, All Progressives Congress (APC)
7. Tijjani Sukairaju, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
8. Muhammad Bashir Galadanchi, Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
9. Tukur Aliyu, Accord Party (APP)
10. Ahmad Furera, Boot Party (BP)
11. Bari Mustapha Bello, Democratic Liberation Alliance (DLA)
12. Santuraki Hamisu, Labour Party (LP)
13. Abdullahi Mustapha, National Democratic Party (NDP)
14. Abacha Muhammed Sani, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
15. Koguna Nasiru Hassan, Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)
16. Hussaini Bello Ado, Social Democratic Party (SDP)
17. Huhu Isa, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)