The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday declared three senatorial seats in the upper chamber of the National Assembly vacant.
Papers News reports that the seats were declared vacant following the deaths of the lawmakers who occupied them.
The affected constituencies are Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and Rivers South-East Senatorial District.
Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary, Akpabio said the declaration was made in line with constitutional provisions.
Senator Akpabio subsequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the vacancies within the timeframe stipulated by law.
“Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that we fill the seats left vacant by the demise of our colleagues.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, passed a ₦68 trillion national budget figure for the year 2026.
Papers News reports that the approved budget included a ₦9 trillion increase from the initially proposed ₦59 trillion.
The budget covers the period ending 31st December 2026.
