February 03, (THEWILL) – A total of 4,613,291 eligible Nigerians with Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), will file out to their polling booths this Saturday, to participate in the re-run and bye-elections in some national and state legislative seats across 26 states of the federation.
The affected states include Ebonyi, Yobe, Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto and Zamfara.
The elections, affecting 80 local government areas across Nigeria, are to fill vacancies created by the resignation, death and removal of lawmakers through post-election litigation.
According to the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), “In all the elections will fill vacancies in three senatorial districts, 17 Federal and 28 state constituencies spread across 80 local government areas, 575 registration areas/wards and 8,934 polling units involving 4,904,627 registered voters, out of which 4,613,291 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected.”
INEC chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, said two Senators, four members of the House of Representatives and three members of State Assemblies will be elected in bye-elections to replace members who passed on or resigned their memberships of national and State Assemblies in nine States, while in other States, re-run elections will take place at designated constituencies or Polling Units as ordered by the Election Appeal Tribunals.
Some notable vacant seats to be filled are those of Femi Gbajabiamila, Sen. David Umahi, Sen. Ibrahim Geidam, Bumi Tunji-ojo, and Tanko Sununu.
Gbajabiamila had resigned as lawmaker to take up appointment as chief of staff to the president, while Umahi along with others resigned from the National Assembly for ministerial appointments.
Other vacant seats include that of Isma’ila Maihanchi, a member-elect from Taraba, who died before inauguration, and Abdulkadir Danbuga from Sokoto, who died in October 2023.
Ahead of the election, security agencies have urged political parties and voters to maintain peace during and after the Polls.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, also ordered restriction of movement in affected areas where elections are being conducted by the INEC.
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