Following the expansion of the electoral process from 11 local government areas to 24 administrative councils, the Chairman of the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission, Abdullahi Garba, has described the conduct of the state’s local government elections as a major milestone.
The chairman of the electoral body stated that the All Progressives’ Congress cleared all the chairmanship and councillorship positions.
“The last cycle of elections in 2023 was conducted in 11 local governments. But His Excellency created an additional 13 Local Council Development Areas to bring development closer to the people.
“We met, made our suggestions to him, and His Excellency graciously approved them. We also visited other states, including Lagos, where elections had already been conducted using LCDAs, and after studying their experiences, we returned and secured the necessary enabling law through the House of Assembly.
“It was 11 local governments then, but now we have 24. We had 114 ward councillors before, but today we have 240 councillors. I think it is a great achievement, and we say thank you to His Excellency.
“APC contested the full cycle in all 24 local governments. African Action Congress, AAC, fielded candidates in only three local governments, while the Democratic Leadership Alliance contested in six. Youth Party, contested in three local governments, and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and National Rescue Movement contested in three.
“From the results we have received, APC has been declared the winner in virtually all the local governments. It also won all the 240 councillorship seats.
“In conclusion, I thank His Excellency for providing us with the enabling environment. We also appreciate all political parties for their support, as well as the observers, NGOs, and members of the media who have been with us throughout this exercise. May God bless you all, and I wish everyone a safe journey back.
