By Musa Baba Adamu
The Senate has initiated steps to fill the vacant Ondo South senatorial seat following the exit of Jimoh Ibrahim, whose recent diplomatic appointment has brought his legislative tenure to an end.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced the vacancy during plenary on Tuesday, explaining that Ibrahim’s appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations automatically disqualifies him from continuing in the upper legislative chamber.
Akpabio said the declaration takes immediate effect in accordance with constitutional provisions, stressing that the Senate was obligated to act promptly to ensure continued representation for the affected constituency.
He subsequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise a by-election within 30 days to fill the vacant seat.
The Senate President also instructed the Clerk to the National Assembly to formally convey the resolution to INEC, in a move aimed at fast-tracking the replacement process and avoiding any gap in representation for Ondo South constituents.
