The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it has begun preparations for by-elections to fill vacant seats in both the National and State Assemblies.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, shared this information during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
He also mentioned that the commission would soon provide further details regarding the upcoming by-elections.
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“We have commenced preparations for the conduct of the by-elections. At our meetings with leaders of political parties and security agencies recently, we notified them of our preparations.
“The current national and state assemblies were inaugurated in June 2023.
“Between June and December 2023, a period of just six months, vacancies occurred in 23 constituencies as a result of death or resignation of legislators.
“In early 2024, the commission conducted nine by-elections. Since then, 16 other vacancies have occurred,’’ he said.
Oyekanmi explained that by-elections pose challenges because they are unpredictable, unplanned for, and difficult to prepare for in advance.
This is why INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, recently urged the National Assembly to explore alternative methods for filling vacancies in the National and State Assemblies, Oyekanmi added.
The call was made to help reduce the high costs associated with conducting by-elections in the country.
Additionally, Oyekanmi mentioned that INEC is working on resuming its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“The resumption of CVR is top on the commission’s agenda. It is only a matter of time before the commission announces the date,’’ he said.
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