The President of the Senate of Nigeria, Godswill Akpabio, has officially declared three senatorial seats vacant following the deaths of serving lawmakers.
The affected constituencies include Enugu North, Nasarawa North, and Rivers South-East Senatorial Districts. The announcement was made during plenary on Tuesday, with Akpabio stating that the vacancies arose due to the demise of the legislators representing the districts.
According to him, the development aligns with constitutional provisions requiring that such seats be filled through fresh elections.
Akpabio subsequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the vacant positions within the legally stipulated timeframe.
“Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections… to ensure that we fill the seats left vacant by the demise of our colleagues,” he said.
He added that INEC is mandated to organize the elections within approximately 30 days from the date of the declaration, in accordance with the Constitution.
The move is expected to trigger political activities in the affected states as parties prepare to contest the seats, with stakeholders closely watching how the outcomes may influence the balance of power in the Senate.
