The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled five by-elections for September 19, spanning four states across Nigeria. The elections will fill vacancies in one federal constituency and four state constituencies.
Date Confirmed by INEC Official
Tunde Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, confirmed the date during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, September 8, in Abuja. He stated that the five contests cover one federal constituency and four state constituencies.
The announcement comes as part of INEC's constitutional mandate to conduct elections to fill vacancies in legislative seats. The commission has not yet specified the reasons behind the vacancies, but by-elections are typically called following the death, resignation, or disqualification of a sitting lawmaker.
Seats Up for Contest
At the federal level, voters in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe State will go to the polls to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives. This is the only federal constituency among the five by-elections.
The four state-level elections will be held simultaneously in Bauchi, Delta, and Kano states. In Bauchi State, the affected constituencies are Disina and Sakwa. Delta State will conduct a by-election in the Udu State Constituency, while Kano State will hold one in Dawakin Kudu.
Context and Previous Reports
Oketola did not elaborate on the circumstances leading to the vacancies in the five constituencies. However, by-elections in Nigeria are usually necessitated by the death, resignation, or disqualification of a sitting lawmaker, as per electoral regulations.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that INEC warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation now ranks among the most serious threats facing the credibility of Nigeria's 2027 general elections. The commission is racing to complete a full audit of its technology infrastructure and weigh whether to conduct a mock presidential election before the polls. INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, delivered the warning on Wednesday in Abuja, at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.
The by-elections on September 19 will proceed as scheduled, with INEC expected to release further details on logistics and voter education in the coming days.
