The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) has concluded preparations to host the 13th Annual National Delegates Conference of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) in Jos.
Chairman of PLASIEC, Plangji Daniel Cishak, made the announcement while briefing journalists at the commission’s office on Tuesday. He said the 3-day event is scheduled to hold from May 21 to 23, 2025, in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Cichak noted, “It is with great pleasure that I officially announce that Plateau State will host the 13th National Delegates Conference of the Forum of Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON).
“This 3-day event is scheduled to take place from the 21st to the 23rd of May 2025, right here in Jos, Plateau State, the Home of Peace and Tourism. The theme for this year’s conference is both timely and compelling: “Local Government Elections in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.” It is a theme that calls for sober reflection, informed debate, and actionable outcomes.
“We expect to welcome no fewer than 304 delegates drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. These will include Chairmen, Commissioners, and Secretaries of various State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs). The opening ceremony will be held under the distinguished chairmanship of His Majesty, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, whose leadership continues to serve as a source of institutional wisdom and moral direction.
Cichak added, “In addition, we are expecting three serving governors, representatives of the Forum of Nigerian House of Assembly Speakers, and members of the National Assembly—particularly the Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters. Their participation underscores the national significance of the issues on the table and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening local governance through credible elections…
“More importantly, we have prioritized the development of our human capital—organizing targeted training programmes, workshops, aimed at equipping our staff with the requisite knowledge and skills for credible electoral administration. These measures are grounded in our belief that sustainable electoral reform begins from within,” Cichak said.
The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said that northerners are angry with President Bola Tinubu because he has failed to fulfil his promises to Nigerians.
Baba-Ahmed said the dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s administration was not peculiar to the North, stressing that Nigerians across the country were unhappy with the President for failing to address the problems he promised to tackle.
He stated this while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
According to him, the anger against Tinubu stems from the perception that the President is not listening to Nigerians and has failed to deliver on his campaign promises.
“It's nothing to do with being northern at all. There are a lot of elite, there are a lot of Nigerians who are angry with Tinubu because he's not listening to anybody,” he said.
He added that northerners were not angry with the President simply because he had failed to listen to them, but because they shared the same concerns as other Nigerians over his administration's performance.
“I can tell you, the North is not angry with Tinubu because he's not listening to them. The North is angry with Tinubu like other Nigerians are angry with Tinubu because he came here on the promise to fix a lot of the things that are wrong, and he didn't,” Baba-Ahmed said.
His comments come amid growing political discussions ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition figures and political stakeholders assessing the performance of the Tinubu administration and its implications for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
DAILY POST reports that the 2027 presidential election is expected to be a major test of public support for Tinubu, who is seeking to consolidate his administration's political position amid criticism over economic hardship and other national challenges.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could only win the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, in the forthcoming presidential election through rigging.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said support for Tinubu was declining in the North, claiming that voters in the region were planning to vote him out of office.
He said God had given the North the power to decide who rules the country and that anyone without the region's support would most likely fail.
Ayodele also said Tinubu's reported choice of Abdulazeez Yari as his campaign director general would not change the situation, claiming that northern voters had already made up their minds.
He warned that unless the president took appropriate steps, voters in the region would do everything possible to remove him from power.
The cleric also identified some states where he claimed the ruling party faced challenges ahead of the election.
"The North hates Tinubu's candidacy, and even with Yari as DG, they are adamant to vote Tinubu because what is happening now is just nemesis. God has given the North the power to decide who rules Nigeria.
"It is wherever they decide that the pendulum will switch to. Tinubu will have problems in some northern states, including Adamawa, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Bauchi. Abuja too is shaking, and it can only be gotten through rigging. Yobe, Gombe and Kebbi are divided.
"It can still change if the president knows what to do, but they are shaking already. Yari cannot do the mending. It's all about time, and the date for the election is not a victory date for Tinubu," he said.
Ayodele also predicted that Nigeria's name would eventually be changed, arguing that the name had been spiritually contaminated and was affecting governance in the country.
He claimed that the name had spiritual implications for the nation's leadership and could prevent governments from knowing what to do, even when their intentions were good.
"The name Nigeria is affecting leadership of this great nation. It will eventually be changed when God opens the eyes of some leaders. The name is contaminated and has serious spiritual implications on the nation.
"It will not make the government know what to do when they get to power, even if they have good intentions. The name doesn't have a good aura and will cause setbacks. You may not understand, but when it's time, people will know better," he said.