The Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) has officially announced that 805 candidates representing 10 political parties will participate in the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 1, 2025.

NSIEC Chairman, Engr. Mohammed Jibrin Imam, made this announcement in Minna during the official flag-off of election campaigns. According to him, political parties have been cleared to commence public campaigns, which will continue until October 31, 2025.

Breaking down the figures, Imam revealed that 69 candidates are vying for Chairmanship positions, 66 for Vice-Chairmanship, and 670 for Councillorship positions across the 25 local government areas of Niger State.

Participating Political Parties

The 10 political parties that will be participating in the elections include:

- All Progressives Congress (APC)
- People's Democratic Party (PDP)
- Social Democratic Party (SDP)
- Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
- Labour Party (LP)
- Booth Party
- National Rescue Movement (NRM)
- Action Alliance (AA)
- Accord Party
- Action People's Party (APP)

The NSIEC chairman emphasized the importance of responsible conduct during the campaign period, urging political parties and their candidates to adhere strictly to the commission's guidelines.

"I want to also draw the attention of the participating parties to the fact that they must realize that their utterances and conduct during the campaigns will determine the peaceful and successful conduct of the local council election across the 25 LGAs," Imam warned.

Next Steps in the Electoral Process

While campaigns are ongoing, the commission will continue implementing other scheduled activities in preparation for the polls. These include the publication of the notice of polls and the official declaration of November 1 as the election date, which will be announced on September 1, 2025.

Political parties are also expected to submit the names of their agents to the respective electoral officers in their local councils as part of the preparation process.

Imam acknowledged that while the electoral process has been largely successful so far, there have been challenges, particularly regarding some political parties' adherence to the timetable. However, he assured that these issues have not disrupted the overall implementation of scheduled activities.

The local government elections in Niger State are expected to be a significant political event as they will determine the leadership at the grassroots level across the state for the next tenure.