Jigawa postpones LG polls to 2025; A/Ibom fixes October 26

The Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) has postponed the local government elections in the state earlier scheduled for June 2024 to June 2025, citing an amendment in the state’s Electoral Law as the basis for the development.

This comes after the main opposition party in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), raised an alarm on Sunday that the state House of Assembly was planning to tamper with local government electoral laws to pave the way for the appointment of caretaker committees in the 27 local government areas of the state.

The state chairman of the PDP, Hon. Ali Diginsa, said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was jittery and afraid of going into the election because they allegedly failed the Jigawa people by throwing them into abject poverty and hunger.

“Jigawa people are eager to give APC its score card; that is why the party and its leaders do not want the state local government election to take place,” he alleged, vowing that the PDP would resist any attempt to postpone the LG elections in the state.

But in an advertorial published in Daily Trust on Tuesday, Auwalu Muhammad Harbo, the electoral commission’s chairman, said the polls have been “postponed following the amendment of Jigawa State Electoral Law of /012 to conform with the current Electoral Act of 2022 that provides 60 days as against the earlier 90 days as notice for all political parties to prepare for subsequent local government elections.

“The commission also wishes to announce June 2025 as the month for the conduct of the local government council elections in all the 27 local government areas across Jigawa State.”

In a related development, the Akwa Ibom state governor, Umo Eno, has announced October 26 as the date for the conduct of elections for the 31 local government areas in the state.

Speaking on Tuesday in Uyo, the state capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting organized by the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC), Governor Eno assured that elected council chairmen will be sworn in on December 7 in line with the electoral plan of the state.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Frank Archibong, also presented the election plan to representatives of political parties and other stakeholders.

According to the timetable, political parties are expected to conduct their primaries between July 22 and August 26, with campaigns and other activities to follow immediately.

“We are all aware that the governor assumed office on May 29 last year, and because of the shortness of time between May and December, he was not able to conduct the local government elections, which is why we have caretaker committees manning the local governments.

“I know how he has pressurized AKISIEC to have the local government elections. Nothing stops us from having the elections this year because Akwa Ibom State and His Excellency do not want to be counted among those running caretaker committees,” the commissioner said.