The Jigawa State government has directed the state electoral commission to activate plans to conduct elections in the 27 local government councils in the state in the next two months.
The state Commissioner for Information, Sagir Ahmed Musa, while briefing journalists after an emergency State Executive Council (SEC) meeting, presided over by the state governor, Umar Namadi, said the decision was in compliance with the recent Supreme Court judgment, which directed that all the 774 local government councils in the country must be manned by democratically elected chief executives and councillors.
The latest development is a marked departure from the earlier position of the commission, which announced the postponement of the polls early in June on account of the amended Electoral Act, which provided a 360-day notification before the conduct of any elections.
Recall that while announcing the year-long postponement of the council elections on June 5, the Chairman of Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC), Alhaji Muhammad Auwalu Harbo, said the elections, which were scheduled to be held on June 27, 2024, were now shifted to June 14, 2025.