INEC says Bayelsa, Imo, Lagos, Plateau, other bye-elections holds October 31

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the suspended senatorial and other bye-elections will hold on October 31. INEC had suspended four senatorial elections in March this year to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the country. Two vacancies in the seat and some state constituencies have occurred since then. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman ofInformation and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement at the end of the commission’s management meeting, noted the successful conduct of the bye-election to fill the vacancy in the Nasarawa central state constituency last Saturday. He recalled that the bye-elections were suspended pending when INEC would develop its policy on conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, the commission will issue the notice of election for the bye-elections on August 17 while primaries by political parties to nominate candidates will hold between August 24 and and September 8. “Submission of forms and personal particulars of candidates will commence on 9th September and close at 6pm on 13th September 2020,” he said. The bye-elections will hold in 12 constituencies across eight states of the country. They include six senatorial elections in Bayelsa, Imo, Cross River, Plateau and Lagos; and six state constituencies in Borno, Cross River, Lagos, Zamfara and Kogi States. Okoye said INEC is aware of vacancies in Isi-Uzo state constituency in Enugu State and Bakori state constituency in Katsina State, but said the vacancies have not been formally declared by the Speakers of the affected state Assemblies. “The Commission implores concerned stakeholders, particularly political parties to take note of the timelines in the schedule and strictly adhere to them,” he advised.