• Ex-INEC commissioner says electoral system favours only elites
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled by-elections for Saturday, August 16, 2025, to fill vacant seats in the National and State Assemblies across 16 constituencies in 12 states.
The commission also announced the resumption of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) nationwide, with online pre-registration set to begin on Monday, August 18, while in-person registration will commence on Monday, August 25, 2025.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed these yesterday during the second quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The by-elections cover two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, and nine state assembly constituencies, involving over 3.5 million registered voters across 32 local government areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units.
The outstanding by-elections will be conducted in Anambra South and Edo Central; five federal constituencies: Ovia South-West/ Ovia South-East in Edo State, Babura/Garki in Jigawa State, Chikun/ Kajuru in Kaduna State, Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North in Ogun State and Ibadan North in Oyo State.
Others will be conducted in nine state constituencies: Ganye in Adamawa State, Onitsha North I in Anambra State, Dekina/Okura in Kogi State, Zaria Kewaye and Basawa in Kaduna State, Bagwai/Shanono in Kano State, Mariga in Niger State, Karim Lamido I in Taraba State and Kauran Namoda South in Zamfara State.
Yakubu said: “In the last two years since the inauguration of the national and state assemblies in June 2023, vacancies requiring by-elections have occurred nationwide. 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.
“Consequently, the commission has fixed Saturday, August 16, 2025 for by-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states of the country involving a total of 3,553,659 registered voters spread across 32 local government areas, 356 wards and 6,987 polling units.
“The commission will deploy 30,451 officials. However, in spite of the declaration of vacancies, by-elections will not hold in two state constituencies for the time being. These are Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State as a result of the current state of emergency and Talata Mafara South State Constituency in Zamfara State following a legal challenge to the declaration of the seat vacant by the state Assembly.”
In his response, the Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, called on the commission to use the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election, scheduled for November 8, 2025, to demonstrate its capacity to conduct credible and technology-driven elections.
He urged INEC to rebuild public trust by leveraging its new technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), to drive decision-making, risk management, voter engagement, predictive analytics, automation, and integrity safeguards.
MEANWHILE, a former National Commissioner of INEC, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, has said Nigeria’s electoral system has become a mere ritual devoid of substance and designed primarily to serve the interests of the elite while excluding the masses from meaningful democratic participation.
He said despite the democratic structures put in place such as periodic elections, true democracy in Nigeria remained elusive for the majority of Nigerians who continue to live in poverty.
Ibeanu raised the concerns at a memorial forum in honour of the late pan-African intellectuals and radical activists, Tajudeen Abdulraheem and Abubakar Momoh, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Abuja.
The event under the theme: ‘Reclaiming Democracy For Authentic Africa Development: Remembering Tajudeen Abdul-raheem and Abubakar Momoh’, honoured the scholars’ intellectual contributions to democracy and social movement.
