The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Monday said as far the commission is concerned, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has a governorship candidate in Kano State. A Federal High Court sitting in Kano earlier today ruled that the PDP did not conduct primaries in Kano, and therefore the candidature of Abba Yusuf could not stand. The judge therefore directed the PDP to conduct fresh primaries within two weeks. Counsel to the plaintiff, Kabiru Usman, said the PDP would have to provide another governorship candidate before the coming polls.

In his remarks, PDP Counsel, Bashir Yusuf, said the verdict does not affect Abba Kabir as a candidate but the PDP as a party. A PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Ali Amin-little, had approached the court, challenging the process that led to the emergence of Mr Yusuf as PDP gubernatorial candidate in Kano.

But in a telephone interview with Daily Nigerian Newspaper, Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education Committee said the commission was yet to be served any court order. He argued that even after receiving the order, the commission’s legal officers would have to study the order carefully before taking any decision. “We are yet to be served this order you are talking about. INEC can not just take a decision based on hearsay. “Even after we are served the said order, the commission’s lawyers will have to study it carefully, establish issues of competence of the court, study the order and arrive at a conclusion as to whether the party has candidate or not. “But for now, the status quo remains,” he added.