The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has pleaded with political parties to start fielding fresh candidates for bye-elections into state and federal legislative positions.
The Commission noted that over the last one and a half years since the inauguration of the current national and state assemblies in June 2023, vacancies have occurred in 23 constituencies of serving members.
Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke during the year’s first quarterly meeting with political parties, said the Commission conducted nine bye-elections early last year and 14 vacancies have occurred since then.
He said such elections “are unpredictable and unbudgeted and difficult to plan in advance”, adding that some of the bye-elections lead to more bye-elections.
According to Yakubu, there were situations where the bye-elections in one senatorial district was won by a member of the House of Representatives from the same district, thereby creating another vacancy.
“In turn, a member of the State Assembly won the bye-election to the House of Representatives, thereby creating a vacancy in the State Assembly. Consequently, one bye-election led to three bye-elections,” he said