The Jigawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said they don’t agree with a suggestion from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to extend the local government council election in the state by one year.
Currently, there are 27 local government chairmen and 287 councilors who were elected in March 2021 to serve for three years.
IPAC, after a meeting in Dutse, the state capital, proposed the extension to allow for better preparations for the election.
However, Alhaji Saadu Barwa Dutse, the PDP chairman of the Dutse Municipal Council, believes that only a few individuals in IPAC support this idea, accusing them of favoring the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and trying to manipulate the tenure of the local governments.
Barwa insists that the law clearly states the tenure of elected officials, which is set to expire by July this year.
He emphasizes that the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) should organize a fair election without any delay or extension of current officials’ tenure.
The PDP is confident in its ability to win the election, citing the economic difficulties faced by the state’s residents.
On the other hand, IPAC suggests amending the state’s electoral law to give political parties 360 days’ notice to prepare for elections.
They argue that this extension would allow parties to adequately prepare economically, socially, and politically.
IPAC believes that postponing the election would enable the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) to adequately prepare for a free and fair election.
While the PDP insists on following the law and holding the election as scheduled, IPAC proposes an extension Z allow for better preparation and adherence to electoral standards.
“For the above-stated reasons, we deem it impracticable for the local government council elections to be held and for IPAC party members to participate, given the current socio-economic challenges.”
Both sides highlighted the importance of conducting a fair and transparent election in Jigawa State.
“We thus finally and unanimously advised that the election be postponed to a later appropriate time,” the statement emphasizes.
