The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled Saturday, August 16, 2025, for the conduct of bye-elections into vacant seats in the Senate, House of Representatives, and State Houses of Assembly across 12 states.

The announcement was made on Thursday by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, during a meeting with leaders of political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to Yakubu, the elections will be held in 16 constituencies and will involve approximately 3,553,659 registered voters across 32 Local Government Areas, 356 Wards, and 6,987 Polling Units. INEC will deploy 30,451 officials to conduct the exercise.

“Since the inauguration of the National and State Assemblies in June 2023, vacancies requiring bye-elections have occurred nationwide,” Yakubu stated. “You may recall that in February last year, the Commission conducted nine bye-elections to fill vacancies resulting from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly. Since then, more vacancies have been declared across the country.”

The pending bye-elections will include:

  • Two Senatorial Districts: Anambra South and Edo Central
  • Five Federal Constituencies: Ovia South West/Ovia South East (Edo), Babura/Garki (Jigawa), Chikun/Kajuru (Kaduna), Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North (Ogun), and Ibadan North (Oyo)
  • Nine State Constituencies: Ganye (Adamawa), Onitsha North I (Anambra), Dekina/Okura (Kogi), Zaria Kewaye and Basawa (Kaduna), Bagwai/Shanono (Kano), Mariga (Niger), Karim Lamido I (Taraba), and Kauran Namoda South (Zamfara)

However, Yakubu noted that elections will not hold in Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State due to the current state of emergency, and in Talata Mafara South State Constituency in Zamfara State due to a pending legal dispute over the seat’s vacancy.

In addition to the bye-elections, INEC will also conduct two court-ordered re-run elections in Enugu South I (Enugu State) and Ghari/Tsanyawa (Kano State), which were previously disrupted by violence. These re-runs will be held alongside the bye-elections on the same date.

Party primaries are scheduled to take place between July 17 and 21, while submission of nomination forms will open on July 22 at 9:00 a.m. and close on July 26 at 6:00 p.m. Public campaigns are permitted from August 2 to midnight on August 14.

Yakubu emphasized the tight timeframe for bye-elections and assured that the detailed timetable, including delimitation information and maps of affected constituencies, will be made available on INEC’s official platforms for public awareness.