Six Vacant Seats in National Assembly Await By-Elections

Six seats in Nigeria’s National Assembly, comprising two in the Senate and four in the House of Representatives, are currently vacant following the deaths of four lawmakers and the election of two others to governorship positions in Edo State.

In the Senate, the vacant seats include Edo Central Senatorial District, previously held by Senator Monday Okpebholo, who assumed office as Edo State governor on November 12, 2024, and Anambra South Senatorial District, which became vacant following the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while declaring Okpebholo’s seat vacant, cited Section 68(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that a legislator’s seat is vacated upon assuming another public office. This leaves the 109-member Senate with 107 sitting senators. The current party composition in the chamber stands at APC with 63 seats, PDP 34, Labour Party 5, NNPP 2, SDP 2, and APGA 1.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to announce dates for by-elections to fill these senatorial vacancies, a development that could alter the political balance in the Senate. The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, had earlier written to Akpabio requesting formal notification to INEC for the Edo Central bye-election.

In the House of Representatives, four seats are vacant, including Ovia North East/Ovia North West Federal Constituency in Edo State, previously represented by Hon. Dennis Idahosa, now Edo’s deputy governor. The other three vacant seats were held by the late Hon. Ekene Adams (Kaduna), Hon. Olaide Akinyemi, Hon. Musiliudeen Akinremi (Oyo), and Hon. Isah Dogonyaro (Jigawa).

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, declared Idahosa’s seat vacant following a request by House Leader Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, who emphasized the urgency of conducting a by-election to fill the vacancy created by Idahosa’s new role as deputy governor after the September 21 Edo governorship election.

Despite these developments, INEC has yet to schedule the by-elections, leaving the affected constituencies temporarily unrepresented in the National Assembly.