INEC announces date for bye-elections, re-run in 13 states

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Saturday 16 August, for the conduct of bye elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states.

INEC Chairperson, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Abuja.

The bye-elections involve two senatorial seats, five federal constituencies and nine state constituencies.

In February last year, the electoral commission conducted nine bye-elections to fill vacancies resulting from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly but more vacancies have been declared since then, Prof Yakubu said.

He, however, said elections will not be held in two constituencies – Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State as a result of the current state of emergency and Talata Mafara South State Constituency in Zamfara State following a legal challenge to the declaration of the seat vacant by the State Assembly.

The INEC Chairperson said the commission will deploy 30,451 officials for the bye-elections.

He said the commission will also on the same day conduct the two outstanding Court-ordered re-run elections in Enugu South I State Constituency of Enugu State and the Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency in Kano State.

For the senatorial districts, INEC will conduct elections for Anambra South and Edo Central.

The Anambra South seat became vacant following the death in 2024 of the occupant, Ifeanyi Ubah, while Edo Central seat became vacant as a result of the election of Monday Okpebholo as the state governor.

The commission will also conduct elections for the following federal constituencies: Ovia South West/Ovia South East in Edo State; Babura/Garki in Jigawa State; Chikun/Kajuru in Kaduna State; Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North in Ogun State and Ibadan North in Oyo State;

For the states houses of assembly, there are; Ganye in Adamawa State, Onitsha North I in Anambra State, Dekina/Okura in Kogi State, Zaria Kewaye and Basawa in Kaduna State, Bagwai/Shanono in Kano State, Mariga in Niger State, Karim Lamido I in Taraba State and Kauran Namoda South in Zamfara State.

“Consequently, the commission has fixed Saturday 16th August 2025 for bye-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 States of the country involving a total of 3,553,659 registered voters spread across 32 Local Government Areas, 356 Wards and 6,987 Polling Units,” Mr Yakubu said.

INEC said party primaries will be held between 17 and 21 July while the online portal for submission of nomination forms will open at 9.00 a.m. on 22 July and end at 6.00 p.m. on 26 July.

The campaign will commence on 2 August and end at midnight on 14 August 2025, 24 hours before election day.

“The hardcopies of the detailed timetable and Schedule of Activities for the bye-elections, including delimitation details of the 16 constituencies and their locations on the map of Nigeria are included in your folders for this meeting. The same information will be uploaded to our website and other platforms for public information shortly,” he said.