Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared the seats of Senator Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South) and Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe East) vacant, following their recent appointments as ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Both Umahi and Geidam, inaugurated as members of the 10th National Assembly in June, resigned in August to assume their roles as Minister of Works and Minister of Police Affairs, respectively. The Senate has swiftly called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct immediate by-elections to fill these now vacant seats.
In a related development, former Labour Minister Simon Lalong, erstwhile governor of Plateau State, recently resigned from his ministerial position to return to the Senate. This move comes after a court verdict affirmed Lalong as the Senator for Plateau South.
INEC Eyes February 1, 2024, for Bye-Elections to Fill Legislative Vacancies
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday, hinted at the possibility of re-run and bye-elections across the country next February, setting the stage for potential electoral shifts in various constituencies.
“With regard to the bye-elections, you may recall that in my recent address at the swearing-in of new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) which was combined with our last quarterly meeting with the RECs nationwide, I made a commitment that the Commission will conduct elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies.
“The Commission is looking at the first week of February 2024; in just a little over one month to conduct both the re-run and bye-elections,” Yakubu had said.