The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has revealed that at least 20 candidates in the upcoming Kano State local government election have tested positive for numerous drugs.
This development, part of the investigation on drug usage among candidates, has sparked questions about the fairness of the approaching elections.
Recall that in 2018, the state government approved compulsory drug tests for political appointees, civil servants, and students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
The NDLEA commander in Kano, Abubakar Ahmad, verified that all of the aspirants from the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party tested positive for narcotics including opioids (codeine), THC (the active ingredient in 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 revealed.
While reacting to nicotine mostly discovered in many cases, Ahmad added, “It is left for the electoral commission to decide if tobacco is a drug or not because it is something you find even in kola nuts.”
So far, no female applicants have tested positive.
The drug tests are part of the NNPP’s vetting process before submitting its candidate list to the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), which will validate all candidates before the October 26 election.
These elections will fill 44 chairmanships and 484 counsellor positions in Kano’s local governments.
During a visit to the NDLEA’s headquarters, the chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Sani Malumfashi in a statement announced that the commission would perform drug tests on all candidates.