The Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) has announced that all candidates vying for seats in the upcoming local government elections must undergo mandatory psychiatric evaluations, News About Nigeria reports.
This decision was made public by KANSIEC Chairman, Prof. Sani Malumfashi, during a press conference in Kano on Friday.
“We have already conducted drug tests for aspirants contesting for chairmanship and councillorship positions. Next, we will invite psychiatric doctors to perform evaluations on all candidates,” said Prof. Malumfashi.
He also urged candidates to begin purchasing their nomination forms from banks starting on Saturday, as the deadline for political parties to submit their candidates’ names is fast approaching.
Prof. Malumfashi further expressed gratitude for the participation of political parties, pointing out the involvement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the process.
“We are glad that the APC trusts in our work and recognises that we are committed to ensuring the credibility of this election,” he added.
In a related development, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed that at least 20 aspirants in the upcoming Kano local government elections tested positive for multiple drugs.
NDLEA Kano Commander, Abubakar Ahmad, revealed that these candidates, mostly from the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), tested positive for substances like opioids, cannabis, benzodiazepines, and nicotine.
“So far, 20 aspirants presented to us by the ruling party (NNPP) in the state have tested positive for multiple drugs, and the exercise is ongoing,” Ahmad stated.
The drug testing is part of the screening process before the NNPP submits its final list of candidates to KANSIEC for the October 26 elections, which will fill 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship positions across the state.
