JISIEC announced 5 October as the date for elections in the 27 local government elections.
The Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) has announced 5 October for elections into the councils of the 27 local government areas of the state.
The commission postponed the elections to June 2025 following the amendment of the Jigawa State Electoral Law of 2012 to conform with the Electoral Act of 2022 provisions.
The federal law stipulates that political parties must be given a 360-day notice against the earlier 90-day notice to prepare for the elections.
However, JISIEC chairperson, Auwalu Harbo, announced the date on Friday at a meeting with political parties and security agents at the commission's head office in Dutse.
Mr Harbo said a recent Supreme Court judgement compels elections to be conducted at the local government level and forced the state to reverse the postponement of the elections.
"In compliance with the Supreme Court judgement, the JISIEC, being a law-abiding authority, deemed it necessary to revert to its earlier decision on local government elections and unanimously requested for re-amendment and fixed Saturday, 5th October 2024 as the new date for the conduct of the local government elections in Jigawa State.
"This decision marked the beginning of notice to all interested registered Political Political Parties wishing to participate in the forthcoming Local Government Councils Election to prepare based on the election timetable," Mr Harbo said.
Local government elections were last conducted in the state in June 2021. When the tenure of the elected councils elapsed on 28 June 2024, the state government dissolved the councils the same day and asked the Directors of Administration and General Services (DAGs) to take over the administration of the local governments.
Jigawa State has 287 political wards and 4,523 polling units.
In the election timetable, political parties' campaigns begin on 3 August, and nomination forms sales begin on 24 August and close on 2 September.
The representatives of political parties at the event endorsed the timetable.
The political adviser to the state governor, Lawan Garba, and the governor's adviser on inter-party affairs, Bala Idi, attended the event.
