INEC plans reruns and bye-elections in two categories for early 2024

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed its plans to conduct reruns and bye-elections early next year, intending to combine both categories of elections on the same day. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, made this announcement during an extraordinary consultative meeting with political parties at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Yakubu outlined the two categories of elections as constituencies requiring reruns due to court orders and bye-elections to fill vacancies resulting from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly. The Commission aims to conduct these elections in the first week of February 2024.

The Chairman clarified that rerun elections involve parties and candidates that participated in the general election, with exceptions only when a party wishes to replace a deceased candidate. He highlighted that Election Petition Appeal Tribunals have ordered rerun elections in 34 constituencies, constituting 2.8% of the 1,191 petitions filed by litigants.

Yakubu emphasized the commitment to conduct elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies. The Commission plans to release a detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the elections, providing full delimitation details, including locations, the number of polling units, registered voters, and Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) collected in each constituency, which will be made available on their website for public information.