The Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), has ordered psychiatric tests for candidates in the forthcoming election, even as the commission has reduced the fee for nomination forms for chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The Chairman of the commission, Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, announced that the nomination fee for chairmanship and councillorship was now N9 million and N4 million, respectively, against the backdrop of a court order obtained by opposition parties.
This is as he added that the psychiatric test had become necessary to to ascertain the mental fitness of any one joining the race, as was done with the drug test.
Addressing journalists at the commission’s headquarters in Kano, on Friday, Malumfashi said KANSIEC had complied with the order by reducing the cost of the nomination forms.
He explained that the fee was also applicable to running mates of the chairmanship position.
“The forms are now available in banks. Candidates shout rush to the banks to purchase the forms. Because we are law abiding, we have complied with the courts order, ” he said.
Malumfashi also announced that party primary elections begin on Saturday September 14.