“Court Order” — Certified Court Documents Confirm Why INEC Withheld Gwarzo’s Name From Kano Governorship List

The Federal High Court sitting in Kano has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from publishing the name of any governorship candidate submitted by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 Kano State governorship election, pending the hearing of a motion challenging the party’s nomination process.

The interim order, issued by Justice Samuel Amobeda on October 27, 2026, provides the legal basis for INEC’s decision to withhold the names of the party’s governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from its updated list of candidates.

Certified True Copies of court documents obtained from the Federal High Court have now clarified the circumstances surrounding the omission, which had generated controversy within Kano’s political circles.

The documents, relating to Suit No. FHC/KN/CS/440/2026, show that the electoral commission was specifically restrained from publishing any name on the NDC governorship candidates’ list pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

The suit was instituted by three aggrieved members of the NDC, Garba Umar Isa, Yau Nasiru and Atiku Jamilu Abubakar, against INEC as the first defendant and the NDC as the second defendant.

The applicants approached the court through an ex parte motion filed on October 17, 2026, challenging the circumstances surrounding the alleged selection of Gwarzo as the party’s governorship candidate and Mustapha Kwankwaso as his running mate.

Their grievance centred on allegations that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, had unilaterally influenced the nomination process by selecting Gwarzo as the governorship candidate and his son, Mustapha, as the deputy governorship candidate.

The applicants questioned the procedure through which the candidates emerged and sought judicial intervention to preserve the existing position pending the determination of their complaints.

The allegations concerning the nomination process have not been determined by the court and remain subject to the pending proceedings.

In the ex parte application, the applicants sought interim orders restraining INEC from taking further steps concerning the disputed governorship nomination.

They also requested an order preventing the electoral commission from altering the published candidates’ list while the substantive application remained pending.

Delivering his ruling on October 27, Justice Amobeda granted the interim reliefs, restraining INEC, its agents, officers, representatives and persons acting under its authority from publishing the name of any candidate relating to the NDC’s governorship ticket in Kano State.

The restriction is to remain in place pending the hearing of the motion on notice, unless varied or discharged by a competent court.

The court further restrained INEC from tampering with, altering, adding to or removing names from the governorship candidates’ list published on or about October 10, 2026, pending the hearing of the application.

The judge directed that the court order and accompanying processes be served on the defendants before the next adjourned date.

Justice Amobeda also ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter, having regard to the implications of the dispute for the approaching governorship election.

The court initially adjourned the proceedings until November 2, 2026, for the hearing of the motion.

However, the matter could not proceed as scheduled following an application by counsel representing Gwarzo, who sought to have the governorship candidate joined as a party to the proceedings.

The application for joinder introduced an additional procedural issue requiring the attention of the court before the pending motion could be considered.

Consequently, Justice Amobeda adjourned the matter until November 16, 2026, for further proceedings.

The court’s interim orders provide an explanation for INEC’s refusal to publish the NDC candidates’ names despite earlier complaints from the party and its supporters.

The omission had generated concerns after INEC released its list of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections, with Gwarzo’s name absent despite the party’s insistence that he had completed the necessary nomination requirements.

In the updated list published by INEC, the commission included the NDC among the political parties contesting the Kano governorship election but left the spaces for its governorship and deputy governorship candidates blank.

Instead of publishing the names, the commission inserted the explanation “Court Order” against the affected positions.

The development prompted questions about whether Gwarzo had been disqualified, whether the party’s nomination had been rejected or whether the omission resulted from an administrative error.

However, INEC subsequently clarified that the decision was connected with the subsisting order of the Federal High Court.

A senior official of the commission explained that Gwarzo’s candidacy had been cleared administratively but that the court’s directive prevented the commission from publishing his name.

The official maintained that INEC had no separate objection to the candidate’s nomination beyond the legal restriction arising from the pending proceedings.

The newly reported certified court documents now provide further details of the order relied upon by the electoral commission.

They establish that the restriction was imposed by the Federal High Court in the suit filed by the three NDC members challenging the nomination process.

The court’s order is therefore separate from any administrative determination by INEC concerning Gwarzo’s eligibility to contest the election.

The distinction is important because an interim injunction restraining the publication of a candidate’s name does not, by itself, amount to a final judicial declaration that the candidate was unlawfully nominated or disqualified from the election.

Rather, the order preserves the position pending consideration of the parties’ arguments and the court’s determination of the relevant application.

Similarly, the court has not declared another person the validly nominated governorship candidate of the NDC.

The substantive disagreement over the nomination process remains unresolved.

The controversy also comes amid separate legal steps taken by the NDC to secure recognition of its preferred candidate.

The party had earlier challenged the omission of Gwarzo’s name from INEC’s list and maintained that he satisfied the requirements for participation in the governorship election.

Party officials argued that the omission had created uncertainty among supporters and raised questions about the party’s preparations for the election.

However, the interim order issued by the Federal High Court in Kano has now become a central legal issue affecting the publication of the party’s governorship ticket.

The dispute highlights the consequences of internal party disagreements over candidate selection, particularly where such controversies result in litigation shortly before an election.

Although political parties have responsibilities concerning the nomination and sponsorship of their candidates, disputes arising from the exercise of those responsibilities may require judicial determination where affected persons invoke the jurisdiction of the courts.

In the present case, the three applicants have challenged the alleged unilateral selection of the candidates, while Gwarzo has taken steps to participate directly in the proceedings through his application for joinder.

The legal questions concerning the nomination process and the appropriate reliefs remain before Justice Amobeda.

The court’s next proceedings are expected to address the outstanding applications and determine how the case should progress.

Until the interim restriction is lifted, varied or otherwise affected by a subsequent judicial decision, INEC remains bound by the order concerning publication of the NDC governorship candidate’s name.

The development also places attention on the responsibilities of electoral bodies to comply with subsisting court orders, even where political parties or candidates disagree with the consequences.

For now, the court documents have clarified that Gwarzo’s omission from the updated INEC list arose from an interim judicial restriction rather than a final court judgment invalidating his nomination.

The matter will return to the Federal High Court on November 16, 2026, as the parties continue their legal contest over the NDC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 Kano State election.

Post Title: “Court Order” — Certified Court Documents Confirm Why INEC Withheld Gwarzo’s Name From Kano Governorship List By Papers Nigeria.