Sokoto Gov’t Dismisses ADC Candidate’s Objection To INEC National Commissioner Nominee As Unfounded
Sokoto Gov’t Dismisses ADC Candidate’s Objection To INEC National Commissioner Nominee As Unfounded
From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government has dismissed as unfounded and unwarranted the objection raised by the Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto State, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nomination of Prof. Mustapha Aliyu as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner representing the North-West.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto on Political Matters, Hon. Faruku Labbo, said the appointment was strictly based on merit.
Hon. Labbo was reacting to a statement by Hon. Dan’iya who had expressed concern over the nomination, citing Prof. Aliyu’s close family relationship with Gov. Ahmed Aliyu and questions raised about his political neutrality.
Dan’iya, in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Aminu Abdullahi, had called on President Tinubu to reconsider the nomination and urged the Senate to subject it to rigorous scrutiny, citing Section 156(1)(a) of the Constitution which provides that a member of INEC must not be a member of a political party.
Dan’iya had argued that where a nominee is reportedly closely related to a serving governor whose party has a direct interest in the electoral contest, the need for transparency, demonstrable independence and public confidence becomes even more compelling, and urged the Senate to verify the nominee’s political affiliations and eligibility.
But Hon. Labbo, in his reaction, insisted that Prof. Mustapha Aliyu is eminently qualified to hold such a national position as a bona fide citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a distinguished academic.
According to the Special Adviser, although Prof. Mustapha Aliyu remains a brother of Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, he is not holding any position in the All Progressives Congress (APC) at any level.
He challenged the ADC governorship candidate to prove otherwise, stressing that family relationship alone does not constitute constitutional disqualification.
Hon. Labbo maintained that the Presidency’s nomination, announced on October 16, 2026, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, along with three other National Commissioners and two Resident Electoral Commissioners, was done to fill vacancies created by expiring tenures and in the national interest.
He said the attempt to link the nomination to political influence was an attempt to politicize a merit-based appointment and create avoidable controversy ahead of the forthcoming 2027 general elections next January.
The Special Adviser urged the public and the Senate, which will scrutinise the nominees, to disregard the allegations and assess Prof. Aliyu strictly on his professional competence, constitutional eligibility and capacity to serve impartially.
President Tinubu had nominated Prof. Mustapha Aliu to replace Professor Abdullahi Zuru as North-West representative, reappointed Dr Bala Bila for North-East, nominated Bashir Muhammed Umar to replace Professor Muhammad Adamu for North-Central, and Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, currently REC in Osun, to replace Professor Cornelius Ajayi for South-West, whose tenure expires on October 24, while Dr Samuel Akinjide Akinleye and Zahradden Basiru Sanusi were nominated as RECs for Ekiti and Jigawa respectively.
