INEC fixes rerun elections in 34 constituencies for February 2024

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed the first week of February 2024 for the conduct of re-run elections in 34 constituencies in some parts of the country.
The rerun elections are made up of one Senatorial District, 11 Federal Constituencies and 22 State Assembly constituencies.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu made these disclosures on Monday during an extraordinary consultative meeting with the leadership of the nation’s political parties in Abuja.
Yakubu explained that the rerun elections were based on the order of the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals.
At the well attended meeting held at the INEC headquarters, Maitama, Abuja, the Chairman said, “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”, he said.
Continuing, Yakubu said, “I want to assure you that at the end of all the litigations, including the Governorship elections pending on appeal at the Supreme Court, the Commission will present a comprehensive analysis of the petitions, including cases where the Commission was ordered to issue Certificates of Return to other candidates and the reasons for the decisions by the Courts as part of the lessons learned from the 2023 General Election for the consequential reforms to improve the conduct of future elections.
“With regard to the bye-elections, you may recall that in my recent address at the swearing-in of new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) which was combined with our last quarterly meeting with the RECs nationwide, I made a commitment that the Commission will conduct elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies”, he stressed.
The INEC Chairman however explained that aside from rerun elections ordered by the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals set up in the aftermath of the 2023 General Election, which are gradually winding up their proceedings, the Commission is also required to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.
According to him, “The Commission intends to combine and conduct the two categories of elections on the same day, the details of which will be discussed at this meeting.
“As you are aware, re-run elections only involve the parties and candidates that participated in the general election unless a party wishes to replace a deceased candidate.
“However, bye-elections are fresh elections. Consequently, political parties must conduct fresh primaries within the limited period of time provided by law”, he stated.