2023: Tribunals ordered re-run elections in 34 constituencies – INEC Boss

The Election Petition Tribunals have ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct re-run elections in 34 constituencies made up of one Senatorial District, 11 Federal Constituencies and 22 State Assembly constituencies.

This was made known in a remark by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at an extraordinary consultative meeting held with political parties on Monday in Abuja.

“So far, the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals have ordered the Commission to conduct re-run elections in 34 constituencies made up of one Senatorial District, 11 Federal Constituencies and 22 State Assembly constituencies. However, the 34 constituencies constitute 2.8% of the 1,191 petitions filed by litigants. Significantly, out of the 34 re-run elections, it is only in three cases that the Commission was ordered to conduct elections in the entire constituencies. In the other 31 constituencies, elections are to be held in a few polling units.”

According to the INEC boss, the purpose of the meeting was to brief party leaders on the Commission’s preparation for the forthcoming elections to be held early in the new year.

Yakubu disclosed that the Commission was targeting the first week of February 2024 to conduct both the re-run and bye-elections.

He stated that the Commission was required to conduct re-run elections in some constituencies by court order and by-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.

Yakubu also assured that the Commission will present a comprehensive analysis of the petitions at the end of all the litigations, including the Governorship elections pending appeal at the Supreme Court.