Akpabio Declares Three Senate Seats Vacant, Orders By-Elections

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has officially declared three senatorial seats vacant following the deaths of members of the 10th Senate.

The affected constituencies are Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and Rivers South-East Senatorial District.

Akpabio made the announcement during plenary on Tuesday, stating that the vacancies arose as a result of the demise of the lawmakers representing the affected districts. He noted that the action is in line with constitutional provisions guiding legislative representation.

According to him, the development necessitates the conduct of by-elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the affected constituencies are duly represented in the Senate.

Citing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Senate President formally declared the seats vacant and directed INEC to organize fresh elections within the stipulated timeframe.

He emphasized that the electoral body is mandated to conduct the by-elections within approximately 30 days from the date of the declaration.

The development paves the way for fresh political contests in the affected senatorial districts, as political parties are expected to begin preparations to fill the vacant positions in the upper legislative chamber.