Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the 2026 Plateau State local government elections have demanded that the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) announce and conduct the delayed elections before October 10.
The candidates, under the Coalition of PDP Chairmanship and Councillorship Candidates, made the demand on Wednesday in Jos during a world press conference addressed by the leader of the forum, Hon. Sylvanus Dashe Datong.
They said failure by PLASIEC to conduct the elections before the expiration of the tenure of the current elected local government officials could create a vacuum in the democratic structures of the state’s 17 local government areas.
Datong said the coalition was concerned that PLASIEC had yet to announce a new date or release a fresh timetable for the elections after the earlier poll date was not met.
“We are running out of patience as we continue to wait to no avail for a new election date to be announced by PLASIEC. Even as we address you all today, on 30th September 2026, PLASIEC has failed or refused to set out a timetable and a new date for the polls.” he said.
The candidates said they had participated in their party primaries and submitted their records to PLASIEC in preparation for the elections, adding that they had continued to rely on the commission to conduct free, fair and credible polls.
The coalition also faulted any suggestion that the March 2026 Plateau State High Court judgment should prevent PLASIEC from carrying out its electoral mandate.
The court had on March 13, 2026, ruled that the two-year tenure prescribed under state law for local government chairmen was inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and declared that chairmen should serve four years.
The coalition, however, argued that PLASIEC was not a party to the suit and therefore could not rely on the judgment as a reason for failing to conduct the elections.
“PLASIEC – which is neither a party to nor bound by the said judgment cannot renege on its constitutional mandate based on the shallow grounds of such judgment.” Datong noted.
Datong said the coalition had deliberately refrained from making further comments on the substance of the court case because appeals had been filed and the matter remained subject to judicial determination.
The candidates based their demand on Sections 19 and 23 of the PLASIEC Law 2024, which they said provided for the conduct of local government elections and the tenure of elected council officials.
They argued that the current local government structures were inaugurated on October 10, 2024, following the October 9, 2024 PLASIEC elections, and maintained that their tenure would expire on October 10, 2026.
The coalition therefore urged PLASIEC to make urgent arrangements for the conduct of the elections, while calling on the Plateau State Government to provide the commission with all lawful support required to conduct the polls.
They warned that failure to establish new elected structures could, in their view, result in a constitutional vacuum across the 17 local government councils.
The candidates also called on stakeholders and residents of the state to remain vigilant over the electoral process, insisting that democratically elected local government structures must be sustained in Plateau State.
