President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday declared three senatorial seats vacant following the deaths of members of the 10th Senate.
The affected constituencies are Enugu North, Nasarawa North, and Rivers South-East senatorial districts.
Mr Akpabio made the announcement during plenary, explaining that the vacancies arose from the demise of the lawmakers representing the districts, in line 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.
Citing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Senate President formally declared each of the seats vacant.
“I hereby declare vacant Enugu North Senatorial District. The seat is hereby declared vacant,” he stated, before making similar declarations for Nasarawa North and Rivers South-East senatorial districts.
He subsequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the vacant positions within the constitutionally stipulated timeframe.
“In line with the provisions of our Constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission is mandated to conduct fresh polls to fill these vacant senatorial seats within the time specified, which is about 30 days from this declaration,” Akpabio added.
The development sets the stage for fresh electoral contests in the affected districts, as political parties are expected to begin mobilising ahead of the by-elections to fill the vacant seats in the Senate.
