Six months after, ADC demands cancellation of Yobe LG polls over alleged irregularities

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Yobe State has demanded the cancellation of the June 2024 local government election conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) over alleged irregularities.

ADC’s Yobe State Chairman, Umar Kalli Alhaji, made this call during a press briefing held in Damaturu, alleging that the commission had denied the party’s participation.

The chairman alleged that the electoral commission had refused to follow the 2022 Electoral Act, which mandated it to serve notice to the political parties six months before the election.

“It is important to know that ADC, as a registered political party, has not been properly informed by the YSIEC about the local government election for the submission of candidates for the chairmanship and councillor positions, which is a violation of the 2022 Electoral Act.

“We want to tell the public that our case with YSIEC is pending in the high court, challenging the process of the election in Yobe State,” Alhaji said.

However, reacting to the allegation, the Chairman of Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (YSIEC), Mamman Mohammad, denied knowledge of any court case against it by the party.

Mohammad explained that the election date was initially extended by two weeks, saying, “During this period, the commission did not receive any complaints from the ADC indicating their unwillingness to participate in the election.”

Recall that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State had swept all 17 local government chairmanship seats in the June local government council election.

The party had also won all 178 councillorship seats in the state.