The Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission, TSIEC, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of deliberately boycotting the upcoming local government elections, while attempting to mislead the public about its exclusion from the process.
In an official statement released by the commission on Sunday, through its Secretary, Eyanu Yaro, TSIEC clarified that the sale of nomination forms for the election was held from September 8 to 17, while screening of candidates was scheduled from September 23 to 30, 2025, in line with the amended electoral timetable.
The commission revealed that the APC had initially rejected the sale of forms, demanding that they be issued for free, and even threatened legal action against the commission over the matter.
Following this dispute, the party reportedly failed to participate in any further activities outlined in the electoral calendar.
“To the greatest surprise of the commission, on Friday, September 26, 2025, at about 2:00 p.m., the State Secretary of the APC, Mr. Fidelis, barged into our office during the ongoing screening of candidates. He came with files said to contain the list of his party’s candidates for the election ” the statement read.
TSIEC officials expressed confusion and concern over the development, noting that neither the APC nor any of its aspirants has purchased nomination form, a requirement clearly stipulated by the Taraba Appropriation Law 2025 which mandates the commission to generate a minimum of N50 million from the sale of form and remit it to the state government.
The commission said the APC’s actions appeared to be an attempt to create public disaffection and falsely claim it was being excluded from the electoral process.
“It is on record that the APC had no intention of participating in the election. They neither purchased forms nor allowed interested members to do so. Their last-minute move was clearly mischievous,” TSIEC stated.
The commission announced that the APC’s claim of being “edged out” of the election was “not only false and laughable, but seemingly intended to stir unnecessary controversy.”
