By Perpetua Onuegbu
A CSO, Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD West-Africa), has urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue with the conduct of by-elections into the vacant seats in the National Assembly.
The Director of CDD, Dr Dauda Garuba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that delaying the process on the grounds of proximity to the 2027 general elections would be unconstitutional.
NAN reports that INEC had recently announced fixed the by-elections into the Senate, House of Representatives and Kebbi State House of Assembly for June 20.
The by-elections would hold in six states – Kebbi, Kano, Ondo, Rivers, Nasarawa and Enugu.
NAN also reports that the Ondo senatorial seat became vacant, following the resignation of Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim after his appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN).
The other three senatorial by-elections will be conducted in Rivers, Nasarawa and Enugu to fill the vacancies created by the demise of Senators Barinada Mpigi, Godiya Akwashika and Okey Ezea.
Concerns were, however, being raised in certain quarters on the conduct of the by-elections due to its closeness to the January 2027 general elections.
Those expressing the concerns were particular about what they called the humongous resources that would be committed to the conduct of the by-elections by both INEC and the political parties fielding candidates for the exercise.
Speaking on the development, Garuba, however, said that vacant seats in the legislature should be filled, in line with constitutional provisions.
According to him, the tenure of the current lawmakers will not expire until June 2027, making it necessary for the affected constituencies and senatorial districts to continue enjoying legislative representation.
“It will be unconstitutional to refuse to conduct by-elections into vacant positions on the excuse that 2027 general elections are too close,” he said.
Garuba also argued that legislative representation was a constitutional issue and not one to be determined by provisions of the Electoral Act or financial considerations.
“Laws and procedures regulating by-elections are not determined by cost. If cost determines what should happen, Nigerians would probably ask for a unicameral legislature instead of the bicameral system that we are running,” he argued.
He clarified the distinction between legislative seats and executive offices at the state level, noting that the latter are won through individual candidacy unlike governorship positions which were contested on a joint ticket with deputy governorship candidates.
“A national assembly position is attained via a lone-ticket competition, while a state chief executive position is a joint-ticket competition, in which the governorship candidate nominates a running mate for the electorate to either endorse or reject,” he said.
On Jimoh Ibrahim’s appointment as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN, the CDD boss described it as the constitutional prerogative of President Bola Tinubu, while also noting that acceptance or rejection of the appointment rested solely with the senator.
He, however, recalled that CDD had earlier joined other civil society organisations in opposing the appointment, citing reasons already advanced in a previous joint statement.
Garuba maintained that democratic governance and constitutional order must take precedence in decisions relating to elective representations and appointment into public offices.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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