The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for fresh primaries to be conducted by 18 political parties ahead of planned rerun and by-elections in 34 constituencies across Nigeria in early 2024.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this during a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja on Monday.
Yakubu recalled that rerun elections were ordered by election tribunals in one senatorial district, 11 federal constituencies and 22 state assembly constituencies following the 2023 general election.
He said bye-elections are also required in some areas due to deaths and resignations of lawmakers.
The INEC boss stated that the commission intends to combine and conduct the rerun and bye-elections on the same date possibly in the first week of February 2024
He noted that while rerun elections involve only candidates that previously participated, bye-elections require parties to conduct fresh primaries within the limited 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. However, the 34 constituencies constitute 2.8% 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.
“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,” Yakubu said.
He assured that full details including the number of polling units, registered voters and collected PVCs would be uploaded to the INEC website ahead of the polls
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