The Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), People’s Redemption Party (PRP), African Action Congress (AAC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have jointly announced their withdrawal of participation from the forthcoming Local Government (LG) elections in Bauchi State.
The political parties accused the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) of excessive administrative charges imposed on candidates.
NEWSNGR understands that the election is scheduled for Monday (today), August 17, 2026
The coalition also alleged that the electoral commission did not give them enough time for documentation, candidate screening, appeals, or dispute resolution.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition on Sunday in Bauchi, Dr Ladan Salihu said BASIEC is conducting the 2026 polls under the state’s 2008 electoral law.
According to him, the legal framework directly contradicts the national Electoral Act 2026, from which BASIEC derives its ultimate authority, “thereby creating a weak and legally vulnerable foundation for the election.”
The coalition strongly condemned what it described as excessive and prohibitive nomination and administrative charges imposed on candidates, given that the state government funds the entire electoral process.
The parties assert that the high charges seem designed to financially exhaust opposition parties and reduce their ability to compete, particularly as these parties depend on voluntary contributions from their members, while the ruling party controls public resources.
The coalition further picked holes in BASIEC’s election timetable, pointing to key grievances, saying, “Detailed guidelines were reportedly released only after the timetable had already been published, political parties were restricted to a mere two-day window (July 15-17) to conduct party primaries.”
”Candidates were given only two days (July 22-24) to collect nomination forms and another two days (July 27-29) to return them, leaving insufficient time for documentation, screening, appeals, or dispute resolutions.
“BASIEC mandated that all forms be processed exclusively at its headquarters in Bauchi city, imposing heavy transportation and administrative burdens on rural candidates,” the coalition said.
“We have resolved not to expend our members’ hard-earned but meager resources on a process where genuine democratic competition has been compromised. Everything is being predetermined to ensure that the ruling party gets a sweeping victory,” it added.
The coalition said the boycott was a principled rejection of political manipulation rather than a sign of weakness, demanding an immediate postponement of the local government elections until BASIEC addresses the listed grievances and provides a level playing field.
While warning that they would take legitimate legal or political action if the commission failed to resolve the challenges, they noted that they would rechannel their resources into party mobilisation and structure-building.
However, according to Daily Trust, Chairperson of BASIEC, Hajiya Jummai Sadiq, when contacted, denied the allegations, saying, “We have not violated any law and we are conducting the elections within the stipulated laws.”
She added that the coalition’s action would not stop the commission from conducting the elections as scheduled.
