Sokoto: LG Elections to Hold Jan 9, says SIEC Chairman

The Sokoto State Independent Electoral Commission ( SIEC), monday said it would conduct elections for the 23 local government areas in the state on January 9, 2016.
It also pledged to ensure fairness to all political parties that would participate in the polls in the state.

Addressing journalists in Sokoto yesterday, the Chairman of SIEC, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, said the election would be conducted on January 9, 2016, adding that the commission may likely use card readers for the polls.
“We had since arranged with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in this direction, although this is under probability as the training on its use is yet to be conducted for the ad hoc staff,’’ Abubakar explained.
He said the commission had given notice for the planned polls to the 29 registered political parties in Sokoto yesterday.
According to him, the commission would release the guidelines for the elections and its time table on October15, while it would meet the parties on the polls on October 22.
The chairman stated that the notification of date of primaries by the political parties to the commisison would be done between October 27 and October 31 while conduct of primaries and submission of party candidates to SIEC had been fixed for between November 1 to November 16.
Abubakar further stated that the close of nomination would be done on November 23, while the screening of the candidates by the commission would be done between November 24 to December 10.
He said the names of the nominated candidates was fixed for December 14, while the submission of the substituted candidates to the commission by the political parties was scheduled for between December 15 and December 22
The SIEC boss emphasised that submission of the party agents would be done between December 23 and December 25, while campaigns would end on January 8, 2016.
The SIEC Chairman also disclosed that the state government had since released all the funds needed for the planned elections.
Abubakar promised that the commission would be a neutral umpire and be fair to all political parties.
“We are determined to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible polls. However, I am appealing to the politicians and other stakeholders in the elections to be law abiding and desist from trampling on the constitution of the country,” he added.