Senate declares seats of three deceased lawmakers vacant, directs INEC to conduct by-elections

The Senate on Tuesday declared the seats of Enugu North, Nasarawa North, and Rivers South-East Senatorial Districts vacant.

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The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made the declaration during plenary and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections in the affected districts.

The seats became vacant following the deaths of the lawmakers who previously represented the constituencies. The deceased senators are Okechukuwu Ezea (Enugu North), Godiya Akwashiki (Nasarawa North), and Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South-East).

Mr Akpabio expressed sadness over the passing of his former colleagues while announcing the vacancies.

He urged INEC to conduct the by-elections in line with constitutional provisions.

“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, which is about 30 days from this declaration,” Mr Akpabio said.

INEC has since conducted an election to fill the vacant seat of the Anambra South Senatorial District following the death of its former occupant, Ifeanyi Ubah.

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How by-elections are conducted

By-elections in Nigeria are special elections conducted by INEC to fill vacant legislative seats before the end of a lawmaker’s tenure.

First, INEC will issue a formal notice declaring the vacancies and setting the timetable for the elections. This includes key dates such as party primaries, campaign periods, and the polling day. Political parties will then conduct internal primaries to select their candidates, which must be monitored and validated by INEC.

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After the candidate nomination, INEC will publish the final list of contestants and begin full election preparations, including voter education, logistics planning, and deployment of sensitive materials such as ballot papers and result sheets. Election officials are assigned to the affected senatorial districts, and security agencies are engaged to maintain order during the process.

On election day, voting takes place simultaneously across all polling units in the affected senatorial districts. Accredited voters cast their ballots, which are counted at polling units immediately after voting ends. Results are then transmitted through INEC’s designated collation system, moving from ward to local government and finally to the senatorial district collation centre.

The candidate with the highest number of valid votes is declared the winner and returned as senator-elect. INEC then issues a certificate of return, formally confirming the individual’s election to the Senate.

Overall, by-elections are designed to ensure continuity of representation while maintaining the same electoral standards used in general elections.