INEC Speaks Out on Rivers Assembly Tensions, Announces Bye-Election Plans

INEC responds to the crisis within the Rivers State Assembly, detailing its approach to managing the situation and preparing for forthcoming bye-elections.

On Friday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discussed the ongoing conflict in the Rivers State House of Assembly. They clarified that their inaction was due to contradictory court rulings on the issue.

During a stakeholders’ meeting with media executives at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu addressed requests for the commission’s intervention.

A group supporting Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has called on INEC to conduct a by-election to replace 25 lawmakers who back FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. Meanwhile, supporters of Wike have declared the seats of members loyal to Governor Fubara as vacant.

Yakubu mentioned that the commission is uncertain about who holds legitimate leadership of the Assembly due to conflicting judgments from state and federal courts, which complicates any potential response.

He explained, “Three members of the Rivers State House of Assembly declared the seats of 25 other members vacant. In response, those 25 members also declared the three seats vacant.”

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Following that, the Rivers High Court and the Federal High Court both issued judgments regarding the legitimacy of each group of lawmakers.

At INEC, we have been monitoring the developments closely. While uncertain about future events, we are actively seeking input from Nigerians, particularly legal experts.

In addition to addressing the Rivers crisis, Yakubu revealed plans for by-elections to fill other vacant legislative seats. The goal is to conduct these elections by mid-December in order to replace members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly who have passed away.

Yakubu suggested that political parties could directly nominate replacements for vacated seats due to death or resignation, similar to systems in place in other countries. He observed that organizing frequent by-elections has been logistically challenging for the commission, which has managed approximately 20 such elections since July 2023.

Yakubu mentioned that INEC is presently engaging with stakeholders to evaluate the practicality of this alternative approach in Nigeria.

Regarding future elections, Yakubu mentioned that insights gained from recent polls are being used to enhance voter accreditation and streamline the result upload process on the INEC Result Viewing portal, particularly in preparation for the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election.