The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship and councillorship candidates in Plateau State have urged the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) to conduct the 2026 local government elections before October 10.
The candidates made the call on Wednesday during a press conference in Jos, led by the forum’s leader, Sylvanus Dashe Datong.
They expressed concern that the tenure of the current elected local government administrations would expire on October 10, warning that failure to conduct fresh elections before then could create what they described as an “unconstitutional vacuum” in the state’s local government structures.
According to the candidates, the current council officials were inaugurated on October 10, 2024, following the local government elections held the previous day.
They argued that provisions of the Constitution and the PLASIEC Law, 2024, require the commission to conduct elections to replace the existing councils before the expiration of their tenure.
The candidates said they participated in the PDP chairmanship and councillorship primaries held on March 11 and 12, 2026, following the timetable issued by PLASIEC.
They added that their details and other relevant documents were subsequently submitted to the commission ahead of the election, which was initially scheduled for September 9, 2026.
However, they expressed concern that PLASIEC had yet to announce a new date or timetable for the polls as of Wednesday, September 30.
The forum also rejected the suggestion that a Plateau State High Court judgment delivered on March 13, 2026, prevented PLASIEC from conducting the elections.
The candidates noted that the judgment was the subject of appeals at the Court of Appeal and argued that PLASIEC was not a party to the original case.
Following the press conference, the candidates visited the PLASIEC headquarters in Jos, where they displayed placards calling for the immediate conduct of the elections and submitted a formal letter to the commission.
They also urged the Plateau State Government to provide PLASIEC with the necessary lawful support to conduct what they described as free, fair and credible elections.
The candidates said they remained prepared for the polls and called on PLASIEC to announce a new election date without further delay.
