Nasarawa govt to conduct LG poll on Aug. 31
By Jennifer S. Kuwanta
The Nasarawa State government says it plans to conduct an election for chairmen and councillors of the 13 local government councils in the state on Aug. 31, 2024.
Mr Ayuba Wandai, the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC), said this at a stakeholders’ meeting with officials of the State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Tuesday in Lafia.
Wandai said that the current chairmen and councillors were elected on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, and were inaugurated on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, for a three-year tenure that would end on Oct. 7.
“This is our second engagement; the first was in August 2023 in line with the law establishing the commission.
“The law has given them the mandate to begin preparation for election one year before the expiration of the tenure of the officials.
“The commission is a law-abiding institution that has continued to promote adherence to the laws governing the conduct of LGs elections in the state,” he added.
The commission’s chairman said that political parties were expected to conduct their primaries from Wednesday, Jan. 3, to Saturday, Feb. 24, to select their candidates for the election.
He said that political parties must submit their candidates’ lists on or before Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Wandai also said that sales of nomination forms would start on Wednesday, Feb. 28 and end on Monday, March 11 and the candidates would be screened from Wednesday, March 13 to Friday, March 15.
He said that based on the timetable, electioneering campaigns would commence on Wednesday, April 3 and end on Friday, Aug. 30.
Speaking, Mr Cletus Ogah, the state IPAC chairman, commended the commission for its early preparation in compliance with the law.
He expressed confidence that, based on the preparation on the ground, the electoral body would conduct a free, fair and transparent election.
He pledged IPAC support for the commission to enable it to succeed in the conduct of the election.