Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is set to conduct re-run and bye-elections in 34 constituencies across Nigeria in the first week of February 2024.
INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this during a meeting with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
He said that after the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals set up in the aftermath of the 2023 General Election gradually wind up their proceedings; the Commission is required to conduct re-run elections in some constituencies by court order as well as to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Mahmood said the Commission intends to combine and conduct the two categories of elections on the same day.
He noted that re-run elections only involve the parties and candidates that participated in the general election unless a party wishes to replace a deceased candidate. He noted further that bye-elections are fresh elections.
Consequently, political parties must conduct fresh primaries within the limited period provided by law.
Re-run elections
The INEC National Chairman noted that The Election Petition Appeal Tribunals ordered the Commission to conduct re-run elections in 34 constituencies made up of one Senatorial District, 11 Federal Constituencies and 22 State assembly constituencies.
He said that the “34 constituencies constitute 2.8% of the 1,191 petitions filed by litigants”.
Out of the 34 re-run elections, Prof. Mahmood said “It is only in three cases that the Commission was ordered to conduct elections in the entire constituencies. In the other 31 constituencies, elections are to be held in a few polling units”.
Mahmood announced that with only one month to conduct both the re-run and bye-elections, the Commission will meet to review preparations and announce a definite date, including the detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.
He said that full delimitation details, including locations, number of Polling Units, registered voters and Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) collected in each constituency will be uploaded to the website for public information.
Report of General Election
Prof Mahmood Yakubu expressed the commission’s resolve to present a comprehensive report of the 2023 general elections with lessons learnt to Nigerians as soon as it is ready.
“I want to assure you that at the end of all the litigations, including the governorship elections pending on appeal at the Supreme Court, the Commission will present a comprehensive analysis of the petitions, including cases where the Commission was ordered to issue Certificates of Return to other candidates and the reasons for the decisions by the Courts as part of the lessons learned from the 2023 General Election for the consequential reforms to improve the conduct of future elections”.
The meeting between INEC management and the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, is to enable the stakeholders to deliberate on the forthcoming re-run and bye-elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies and chart a course for free, fair, peaceful and credible elections.
Emmanuel Ukoh
