The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) says it will soon release the timetable for the conduct of Local Government elections.

A member of the Commission, Patrick Mangin, announced this on Wednesday in Jos, at a forum on election, organised for persons living with disabilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forum was at the instance of Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP), with support from BBC Media Action, UK aid, and Actionaid Nigeria.

NAN also reports that the forum was part of CAPP’s project tagged “Strengthening Citizens’ Engagement in Electoral Process in Nigeria (SCEEP)”.

According to Mr. Mangin, the electoral umpire has put in modalities to ensure that the polls were smooth, credible and acceptable.

“The time table is set, but I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. The only thing I can say now is that we have finished all the arrangements,” he said.

He said that PLASIEC would give the political parties a notice of 90 days to prepare as stipulated by law, before the election date.

The Commission’s member commended CAPP for organising the forum, and promised that PLASIEC would involve people living with disabilities in all its plans.

Earlier, Acting Executive Director of CAPP, Nelson Ananze, said that the forum was organised to educate and sensitise people living with disabilities on electoral processes, pointing out that such groups were often excluded from the electoral processes.

He explained that the SCEEP project, which is being carried out in 108 wards of 36 Local Governments in six states, seeks to strengthen women, youth and people living with disabilities on election matters.

Mr. Ananze said that the forum had a critical objective of empowering a group usually excluded and marginalised in the electoral processes, so as to give them a sense of belonging.

NAN reports that the four-year SCEEP project commenced in 2014 and would run till 2018.

(NAN)

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Official says time table for elections to be announced soon