The Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission has commenced the screening of candidates seeking to contest chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions in the state’s forthcoming local government elections.
The commission’s Chairman, Dr Ibrahim Yabani, announced the development on Tuesday during a briefing at the SIEC headquarters in Damaturu, where he presented the timetable for the elections.
According to Yabani, the screening exercise began on September 1 and will continue until September 7, 2026.
He explained that councillorship candidates would be screened at three designated centres across the state, while candidates for chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions would undergo screening at the commission’s headquarters in Damaturu.
The designated screening locations for councillorship candidates are Zone A in Damaturu, Zone B in Potiskum, and Zone C covering Bade and Nguru Local Government Areas.
Yabani said the commission was relying on constitutional provisions in determining the eligibility of candidates.
“The screening guidelines are very clear; they are adopted from the Constitution. The 1999 Constitution, as amended, clearly gives us the qualifications of those who are eligible to contest for chairman, vice-chairman and councillor positions in any local government area in Nigeria.”
He added that the commission would ensure that the screening process remained strictly within the law.
“Our screening is based on the law, and the parameters are approved by the Constitution.”
The SIEC chairman also disclosed that political parties participating in the elections would be allowed to campaign from September 18 to 25.
He said the commission had concluded the training of electoral officers who would participate in the exercise across the state’s 17 local government areas.
According to him, the training was aimed at ensuring that the officials understood their responsibilities and were adequately prepared for the conduct of the polls.
Yabani further announced that sensitive and other election materials would be distributed to the various locations on September 24, two days before the election.
The Yobe State local government elections are scheduled to take place on September 26, 2026.
