The State Electoral Manage­ment body held a stakeholders’ engagement summit on Friday in Lokoja, which was presided by the Chairman of KOSIEC, Maman Nda Eri.

Eri, in his welcome address, said that the stakeholders’ meet­ing was put in place to herald ac­tivities involved in the conduct of the elections in order to achieve the desired success in recording free, fair, credible, and inclusive outing.

Eri assured that KOSIEC would not relent in embarking on a transparent exercise that would reflect the will of the peo­ple during the 2026 local govern­ment elections.

According to him, “KOSIEC remains committed to trans­parency that will provide a level playing field for all the political gladiators and their parties.

“This stakeholders gathering will afford us the opportunity to showcase the new 2025 electoral law that would guide us in the conduct of the elections.

“This meeting is sacrosanct so that every stakeholder will have a say in making time-table for the elections.

“Stakeholders should as a matter of necessity begin sen­sitisation of our citizens on the new electoral law and the value of the electoral process generally as well as the need for voters to come out in their large numbers to exercise their franchise.

“Our meeting should majorly focus on the review of Elector­al Framework, New Kogi State Independent Electoral Commis­sion Law, 2025 and Stakeholders’ Role.

“Participating stakeholders were drawn from all political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs), and the media.”