The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially scheduled bye-elections for Saturday, August 16, 2025, to fill vacant legislative seats in the Senate, House of Representatives, and State Houses of Assembly across 12 states.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement during a meeting with political party leaders at the commission’s headquarters. He stated that the upcoming elections will involve approximately 3,553,659 registered voters.
However, Yakubu clarified that no elections will be held for the Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State, due to the existing state of emergency, or for Talata Mafara South State Constituency in Zamfara State, which is currently facing legal disputes over the seat’s vacancy as declared by the State Assembly.
He noted that since the current National and State Assemblies were inaugurated in June 2023, several seats have become vacant due to resignations and deaths. In February 2024, INEC conducted nine bye-elections for such cases, but more vacancies have emerged since then.
The newly scheduled bye-elections will cover:
- 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)
In total, the elections will span 32 Local Government Areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units. INEC plans to deploy 30,451 officials for the exercise.
Yakubu also outlined key dates:
- Party primaries: July 17–21, 2025
- Submission of nomination forms: July 22 (9:00 a.m.) to July 26 (6:00 p.m.)
- Campaign period: August 2–14, 2025, ending at midnight before election day
Detailed schedules, including maps and delimitation data, were distributed during the meeting and will also be made available on INEC’s official platforms.
Additionally, two court-ordered re-run elections—Enugu South I (Enugu State) and Ghari/Tsanyawa (Kano State)—which were previously disrupted by violence, will be conducted on the same date, August 16, 2025. These re-runs are now possible following renewed security guarantees from relevant agencies.
