Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Kano State Police Command has announced a sweeping restriction of movement across Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area ahead of Saturday’s State House of Assembly by-election, imposing a lockdown from midnight to 5 p.m. on election day as part of a comprehensive security operation designed to ensure a peaceful and credible poll. The announcement was made on Friday, September 18, 2026, by the command’s spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, barely twenty-four hours before voters in the constituency head to the polls to elect a new representative.
The restriction, reached in consultation with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and in line with directives from the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, will affect all vehicular and pedestrian movement within the local government area. Only individuals performing essential duties with valid identification will be exempted, including officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, accredited election observers, medical personnel, firefighters, and accredited journalists. The command also barred security aides and escorts attached to political office holders, government officials, and VIPs from accompanying their principals to polling units and collation centres, a measure aimed at preventing the intimidation of voters and the disruption of the electoral process.
The security guidelines issued by the command are extensive. Quasi-security outfits, vigilante groups, and voluntary organisations have been prohibited from participating in election security operations or loitering around polling stations. Carrying firearms or dangerous weapons around election venues is banned. Vote-buying, vote-selling, and political canvassing within polling unit vicinities are strictly prohibited. Access to polling units and collation centres will be limited to accredited INEC officials, security personnel, election observers, and journalists. The command warned that violators of the movement restriction and electoral security directives would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law. Parents and guardians were urged to prevent their children and wards from being recruited as political thugs before, during, or after the election.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said the police and other security agencies were fully prepared for the election. He disclosed that adequate personnel, intelligence assets, and operational resources had been deployed to all polling units, collation centres, and strategic locations within Dawakin Kudu. Joint patrol teams would monitor the area and respond to reported breaches during the election period. The command also said it had deployed personnel and operational assets to Registration Area Centres and identified flashpoints across the local government. Residents were urged to report suspicious movements or activities to security agencies through the command’s emergency contact channels.
The by-election was necessitated by the vacancy created after the former occupant of the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency seat, Rabiu Shuaibu, contested and won the June 2026 by-election for the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency. The federal seat had become vacant following the death of its former occupant, Muhammad Hassan Danjuma. Shuaibu, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, secured an overwhelming victory in the federal by-election, defeating Lawal Garba-Haruna of the Allied Peoples Movement and other candidates. His victory in the federal contest left the State House of Assembly position vacant, triggering the need for a fresh election to fill the seat.
Six political parties are expected to participate in Saturday’s by-election, according to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano State, Ambassador Zango Abdu. The commission will deploy 1,500 ad hoc personnel to the constituency’s 303 polling units. Non-sensitive materials have already been distributed, while sensitive materials arrived on Wednesday ahead of the election. According to INEC data, 162,445 voters are registered in the constituency, while 148,971 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, representing a 91.7 per cent collection rate. Zango expressed confidence that the poll would be peaceful, free, fair, and credible. “Every election is a learning process,” he said. “We did that before in Dawakin Kudu and it was free, fair, credible, peaceful. No issue whatsoever. We will do the same, even better.”
The security arrangements for the by-election reflect a pattern established in previous elections in Kano State. In June 2026, the police imposed a total restriction of vehicular and pedestrian movement in Dawakin Kudu and Warawa Local Government Areas for the federal constituency by-election, with movement limited from noon to 5 p.m. on election day. In February 2026, an 18-hour restriction was imposed across Kano Municipal and Ungogo Local Government Areas for State Assembly by-elections. The ICCES, chaired by the Commissioner of Police, has consistently reviewed security plans, identified potential flashpoints, and assessed logistics required to ensure peaceful elections. The committee has also resolved to intensify joint patrols, strengthen rapid-response mechanisms, and monitor social media platforms to tackle misinformation capable of causing tension during elections.
The political context of the by-election is significant. Kano State has been a battleground for political parties in recent years, with the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties competing fiercely for control. The by-election is the latest test of the APC’s dominance in the state, following its victories in the February and June 2026 by-elections. The party’s candidate for the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency seat will be seeking to extend that winning streak. Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement, will be looking to upset the ruling party’s momentum. The outcome will also serve as a barometer for the broader political temperature in Kano ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly given the recent defection of some lawmakers from the APC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
For the residents of Dawakin Kudu, the movement restriction will mean a day of disrupted routines. Markets will be closed, businesses shut, and travel restricted. The police have said the measures are necessary to prevent violence, vote-buying, and other electoral malpractices that have marred previous elections in the state. The command has also appealed to political parties, candidates, and their supporters to comply with the Electoral Act 2022 and maintain peace throughout the electoral process. The success of the by-election will depend not only on the security arrangements but also on the willingness of all stakeholders to abide by the rules. The police have deployed in force. The eyes of the state and the nation are on Dawakin Kudu. The voters will have the final say.
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