Akpabio Declares Three Senate Seats Vacant, Orders INEC to Conduct By-Elections

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has officially declared three seats in the Nigerian Senate vacant following the deaths of serving lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly.
The affected senatorial districts are:
Enugu North Senatorial District
Nasarawa North Senatorial District
Rivers South-East Senatorial District
Akpabio made the declaration on Tuesday during plenary, stating that the vacancies were created as a result of the demise of the lawmakers representing the affected constituencies.
According to him, the declaration was made in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which provides for the conduct of fresh elections to fill vacant legislative seats.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Akpabio said the development had made it necessary for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize midterm elections in the affected districts.
“Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that we fill the vacancies created by the demise of our colleagues,” he said.
He thereafter formally announced the vacancies, beginning with Enugu North Senatorial District, before extending the declaration to Nasarawa North and Rivers South-East.
Akpabio also directed INEC to begin the process of conducting by-elections to fill the vacant seats within the constitutional timeframe.
“In line with the provisions of our Constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission is accordingly mandated to conduct fresh polls to fill these vacant senatorial seats in the affected states within the time specified in the Constitution,” he stated.
The Senate President noted that the elections are expected to hold within approximately 30 days from the date of the declaration, as required by law.
The development is expected to trigger fresh political activity in the three affected senatorial districts, with political parties likely to begin consultations and preparations ahead of the anticipated by-elections.