Yobe SIEC Begins Screening of Candidates Ahead of September 26 LG Elections

The Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has begun screening candidates ahead of the September 26, 2026 Local Government Elections across the state’s 17 local government areas.

The commission’s Executive Chairman, Ibrahim Yabani, announced the commencement of the exercise during a press briefing in Damaturu, explaining that the screening will cover candidates contesting chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions.

Yabani said the screening of chairmanship and vice-chairmanship candidates will take place in Damaturu, while councillorship candidates will be screened at the commission’s three zonal offices across the state. The exercise is expected to run for seven days.

The SIEC chairman explained that the election was originally scheduled for June 2026 but was postponed to September after the commission considered the timing of political party primaries and the pressure it could place on stakeholders, including the media.

“Our election should have taken place in June 2026, but looking at the party primaries across the country, we realised it’s going to be very stressful for us, the stakeholders, including you, the mass media,” Yabani said.

He said the Yobe State Government subsequently approached the state House of Assembly, which amended the relevant law to allow the local government election to hold in September. Yabani maintained that the commission was operating within the law and had not violated any legal provision.

“I can tell you categorically today that we are commencing the screening of all candidates, including those vying for chairmanship, vice chairmanship, and councillorship positions; this exercise will last for seven days,” he said.

Yabani also disclosed that the September 26 poll would be the first local government election in Yobe to be fully digitised. He said the commission had equipped its newly constructed situation room with the necessary technology and equipment to support the electoral process.

The SIEC chairman expressed confidence that the preparations would help deliver a smooth and credible exercise across the state’s 17 local government areas as political parties and their candidates prepare for the poll.