The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on political parties to nominate fresh candidates for bye-elections into state and federal legislative positions.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the appeal during the Commission’s first quarterly meeting with political parties for the year. He highlighted the increasing number of vacancies in legislative positions, noting that 23 constituencies have become vacant since the inauguration of the current national and state assemblies in June 2023.
Prof. Yakubu explained that over the past year and a half, INEC has conducted nine bye-elections, with 14 additional vacancies arising since then. He described the challenge of bye-elections as “unpredictable, unbudgeted, and difficult to plan in advance,” adding that some elections lead to a chain reaction of more vacancies.
“In some cases, a bye-election in one senatorial district is won by a member of the House of Representatives from the same district, creating another vacancy. Similarly, a member of a State Assembly may win a bye-election to the House of Representatives, thereby leaving another vacancy in the State Assembly. This results in one bye-election leading to three bye-elections,” he said.
Yakubu emphasized that these repeated bye-elections divert the Commission’s attention from its broader electoral responsibilities. He reiterated INEC’s longstanding advocacy for a cost-effective alternative to filling vacancies, similar to practices in other jurisdictions worldwide.
“Since 2016, INEC has been urging stakeholders, including political parties, to support the call for the National Assembly to amend the law on filling vacancies. Just three weeks ago, we reiterated this position during the defense of our 2025 budget before the joint Senate and House of Representatives committees,” he stated.
The INEC Chairman commended political parties for their cooperation during previous bye-elections, particularly their decision to nominate fresh candidates, which reduced the number of cascading bye-elections. He urged the parties to maintain this approach going forward.
“I hope we can continue this cooperative spirit, ensuring that we conduct one bye-election per constituency rather than multiple bye-elections resulting from a single vacancy,” Yakubu concluded.
