On Tuesday, the Senate instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize by-elections to fill vacant seats in the Anambra South and Edo Central Senatorial Districts.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio issued the directive during a plenary session, officially declaring the seats vacant.
INEC had previously stated in January 2025 that it was awaiting a formal request from the Senate before proceeding with by-elections, particularly for Anambra South, which had remained unfilled since 2024.
The vacancy in Anambra South arose following the passing of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on July 27, 2024. Ubah, who reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest, passed away in London at the age of 52, just two days after leaving Nigeria for the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Edo Central senatorial seat became vacant after Senator Monday Okpebholo was elected as the governor of Edo State in 2024.
Okpebholo, the APC candidate, won the Edo State governorship election on September 22, 2024, securing 291,667 votes against his closest opponent, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 247,655 votes.
Following his victory, the Senate had declared the Edo Central seat vacant after holding a valedictory session in his honor in December 2024.
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Elizabeth Agu, recently reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to conduct the by-elections as soon as it received official instructions from the Senate. She made this remark during a stakeholders’ dialogue organized by the International Press Centre in Awka, the state capital.