The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has officially declared three senatorial seats vacant following the deaths of lawmakers in the 10th Senate. The announcement was made during Tuesday’s plenary session at the National Assembly.
The affected districts are Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and Rivers South-East Senatorial District.
Akpabio explained that the decision was in line with constitutional provisions, emphasizing the need to ensure continued representation in the upper legislative chamber. “Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that we fill the vacancies created by the demise of our colleagues,” he said.
Citing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Senate President formally declared the seats vacant. “I hereby declare vacant Enugu North Senatorial District. The seat is hereby declared vacant,” Akpabio said. He similarly declared the seats representing Nasarawa North in Nasarawa State and Rivers South-East in Rivers State vacant.
Following the declaration, Akpabio directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections within the constitutionally stipulated timeframe. “INEC is accordingly mandated to conduct fresh polls to fill these vacant senatorial seats in the affected states within the time specified in the Constitution, which is about 30 days from this declaration,” he added.
The announcement sets the stage for fresh electoral contests, with political parties already preparing to field candidates to fill the newly vacant seats.
This development comes amid heightened attention on midterm electoral processes and the need to maintain legislative representation for all constituencies.
