From Tongnaan Bawa Jos
The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) has announced that local government elections across the 17 local government councils of Plateau State will be conducted on September 1, 2026.
Chairman of the Commission, Plangji Cishak, who
Made the announcement at a press briefing in Jos on Thursday, said the decision is in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2024.
He stressed that publishing the notice of election and timetable exactly one year before the polls is a statutory requirement.
According to the schedule, political parties are to conduct their primaries between January 12 and January 30, 2026, to democratically nominate their candidates.
Cishak said Collection of nomination forms will hold from February 2 to 6, while completed forms must be submitted between February 9 and March 2. The particulars of nominated candidates will be published on March 7. Screening and verification exercises for chairmanship and councillorship aspirants will follow from March 11 to 16.
Cishak further explained that appeals arising from the screening process will be received on March 20 and determined on March 23, before the final list of candidates is released on March 30. Campaigns will officially kick off on March 31 and continue until midnight of August 30, 2026.
The Commission also announced that the register of voters will be published on July 21, 2026. By August 12, all political parties are required to submit names and addresses of their polling agents. The notice of poll will be published on August 17, while campaigns must close on August 30, ahead of the election day.
Reassuring stakeholders of its readiness, PLASIEC said the elections will be conducted within the constitutionally mandated timeframe, which requires that polls be held not later than 30 days before the expiration of the tenure of serving local government officials.
Cishak pledged that the Commission would ensure fairness, transparency, and strict adherence to the law, and called on political parties to abide by the timetable and conduct their internal processes in line with democratic principles, assuring the public that PLASIEC is committed to delivering credible elections for Plateau people.
