President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has declared three senatorial seats vacant following the deaths of members of the 10th Senate, setting the stage for imminent by-elections.
The affected constituencies include Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and Rivers South-East Senatorial District.
Akpabio made the announcement during plenary on Tuesday, explaining that the vacancies arose from the demise of the lawmakers representing the affected districts, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
“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.
Invoking 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,” he said.
He extended the declaration to the seats representing Nasarawa North Senatorial District and Rivers South-East Senatorial District.
Following the declaration, Akpabio directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct by-elections to fill the vacancies within the timeframe stipulated by law.
“In line with the provisions of our Constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission 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,” Akpabio said.
The development has now opened the door for fresh political contests, as parties begin moves to reclaim the vacant seats in the upper legislative chamber.
