The Sokoto State Government has defended the nomination of Professor Mustapha Aliyu as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner, rejecting allegations that his family connection to Governor Ahmed Aliyu could compromise his neutrality.
The government said the nominee’s suitability should be judged by his qualifications and professional record, challenging the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Manir Dan’iya, to present evidence linking him to partisan political activities.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Faruku Labbo, made the position known in a statement on Sunday following Dan’iya’s appeal to President Bola Tinubu to review the nomination and the Senate to conduct a thorough confirmation process.
Dan’iya had questioned the appointment over reports that Professor Aliyu shares a maternal family connection with the governor. He also raised concerns about the nominee’s alleged links to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Responding, Labbo acknowledged the family relationship but maintained that it did not automatically make the professor ineligible for the electoral commission. He added that the nominee had no official position within the APC.
“Although Professor Mustapha Aliyu remains a brother to Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, he is not holding any position in the All Progressives Congress at any level,” Labbo said.
He called on Dan’iya to substantiate claims of political involvement, arguing that kinship with a serving governor was not, on its own, sufficient grounds to reject the nomination.
Labbo described the nominee as an accomplished scholar and a Nigerian qualified to undertake the responsibilities of an INEC National Commissioner.
According to him, the nomination was intended to fill vacancies created by the completion of the tenure of serving electoral commissioners, not to serve the interests of a particular politician or political party.
The Presidency announced Professor Aliyu’s nomination on October 16, 2026, alongside three other nominees for national commissioner positions and two candidates for Resident Electoral Commissioner roles.
Labbo accused the ADC candidate of turning the appointment into a political dispute, warning against creating controversy around the process as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections.
He urged Nigerians and the Senate to focus on the nominee’s competence, compliance with constitutional requirements and capacity to discharge his duties without political bias.
Dan’iya’s objection was contained in a statement released on Saturday by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi. In it, the ADC candidate referenced Section 156(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which bars membership of a political party for anyone appointed to serve on INEC.
