Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday declared three senatorial seats vacant following the de.aths of their occupants
This sets the stage for by-elections that will test the political temperature in Enugu North, Nasarawa North, and Rivers South-East districts.
The announcement, made during plenary, came as the upper legislative chamber grapples with a broader political realignment that has seen a wave of defections reshape the opposition landscape and raised constitutional questions about the fate of other lawmakers who have switched parties.
“Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that we fill the vacancies created by the demise of our colleagues,” Akpabio told lawmakers.
Citing the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Senate President formally declared each seat vacant in turn: “I hereby declare vacant Enugu North Senatorial District. The seat is hereby declared vacant.” He then issued similar declarations for Nasarawa North and Rivers South-East.
Akpabio directed INEC to conduct fresh polls within the constitutional timeframe of approximately 30 days from the declaration.
The vacancy declarations come against a backdrop of intense political turbulence in the Senate, where a wave of defections has dramatically altered party standings. Earlier this month, nine senators announced their departure from minority parties to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in a single plenary session.
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