By Aminu Kutama
The Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA), has raised the alarm over an alleged plan to jeopardize the 2023 General Elections in Kano using some INEC officials.
In a letter addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and copied to several other Election Monitoring Missions and Industrial Bodies on February 2, 2023, CAJA alleges an active collusion between the Administrative Secretary of the Electoral Commission in Kano, Garba Lawal and some vested interests to undermine the 2023 General Elections.
According to the Centre’s petition, Mr Lawal is due to retire from service on 14th March 2023, and by the provision of the INEC Staff Condition of Service (2017), an officer of the Commission is due to be given a mandatory three months pre-retirement leave before the effective date of his/her retirements
However, according to the petition, the senior staff who was affected by a recent reshuffle to achieve transparency in the 2023 General Elections and to fulfill the pre-retirement condition had both the reshuffle and mandatory leave reversed due to pressure from some vested interests in Kano.
The petition also added that the officer was also widely alleged to have been an active party to the condemned rigging of the Kano State 2019 Gubernatorial Election.
CAJA’s Executive Director, Comrade Kabiru Dakata, therefore urged the Commission to free Mr Lawal to proceed ok his 3-month mandatory leave in order “to maintain the Commission’s credibility in conducting the forthcoming 2023 General Elections.
