Muhammad Kabir 
Twenty Kano State local government chairmanship aspirants have tested positive to multiple drugs during the ongoing screening for the October 26 council election, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed yesterday.
The Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) had insisted that no aspirant who test positive for drugs would be cleared to participate in the election.
The Agency’s Commander in the state, Abubakar Ahmad, said the aspirants from the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) tested positive for substances such as opioids (including codeine), THC (the active component of cannabis), benzodiazepines and nicotine.
Ahmad said: “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.”
According to the agency, no female aspirants have tested positive for drugs so far. Ahmad also said some of the drugs found are related to tobacco. “It is left for the electoral commission to decide if tobacco is a drug or not because it is something you find even in kolanut.”
