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- Insists on fresh primaries for bye-elections
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that it is considering February 2024 as tentative date to conduct re-run and bye-elections into several constituencies across the country.
It further announced that it intends to combine and conduct the two categories of elections on the same day, promising to deliberate on the details.
Commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the disclosure in his remarks at an extraordinary consultative meeting with political parties held on Monday in Abuja.
He said that the elections are in two categories, the re-run elections in some constituencies by court order and the bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.
“The purpose of this meeting is to brief party leaders on the commission’s preparation for the forthcoming elections to be held early in the new year. The elections are in two categories. First, as the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals set up in the aftermath of the 2023 general election gradually wind up their proceedings, the commission is required to conduct re-run elections in some constituencies by court order.
“Secondly, the commission is also required to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.
“The commission intends to combine and conduct the two categories of elections on the same day. As you are aware, re-run elections only involve the parties and candidates that participated in the general election unless a party wishes to replace a deceased candidate.
“However, bye-elections are fresh elections. Consequently, political parties must conduct fresh primaries within the limited period of time provided by law.
“So far, the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals have ordered the commission to conduct re-run elections in 34 constituencies made up of one Senatorial District, 11 Federal Constituencies and 22 State Assembly constituencies,” he noted.
Giving further update, Yakubu said:
“However, the 34 constituencies constitute 2.8 per cent of the 1,191 petitions filed by litigants. Significantly, out of the 34 re-run elections, it is only in three cases that the commission was ordered to conduct elections in the entire constituencies. In the other 31 constituencies, elections are to be held in a few polling units.
“I want to assure you that at the end of all the litigations, including the governorship elections pending on appeal at the Supreme Court, the commission will present a comprehensive analysis of the petitions, including cases where the commission was ordered to issue Certificates of Return to other candidates and the reasons for the decisions by the Courts as part of the lessons learned from the 2023 General Election for the consequential reforms to improve the conduct of future elections.
“With regard to the bye-elections, you may recall that in my recent address at the swearing-in of new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) which was combined with our last quarterly meeting with the RECs nationwide, I made a commitment that the commission will conduct elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies.
“The commission is looking at the first week of February 2024 i.e. in just a little over one month to conduct both the re-run and bye-elections. At the end of this consultative meeting, the commission will meet to review preparations and announce a definite date, including the detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.
“Full delimitation details, including locations, number of Polling Units, registered voters and Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) collected in each constituency will be uploaded to our website for public information,” the electoral umpire boss noted.
