Kehinde Fajobi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) explained its position on the ongoing crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday, attributing its lack of intervention to conflicting court rulings.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting with media executives at INEC headquarters in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu addressed increasing calls for the commission to step in.
A faction loyal to Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has urged INEC to conduct a by-election to fill the seats of 25 lawmakers aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who were declared vacant by the governor’s supporters.
In retaliation, Wike’s faction declared vacant the seats of pro-Fubara members, intensifying the legislative impasse.
Yakubu outlined the difficulty INEC faces due to contradictory court decisions from the Rivers State High Court and the Federal High Court, which have left the commission uncertain about which faction holds legitimate authority.
He stated, “The seats of 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were declared vacant by three other members. The 25 members also declared the seats of the three vacant.
“After that, there was a court judgment from the Rivers High Court as well as the Federal High Court on the legitimacy of each of these groups of lawmakers,” he added.
Yakubu further remarked, “We at INEC have been following the developments. We do not know what will happen next, and so we are seeking the views of Nigerians, especially legal experts on this.”
The INEC Chairman also discussed the commission’s upcoming plans, mentioning mid-December as a potential timeline for by-elections to fill other vacant seats in the House of Representatives and State Assemblies, arising from recent deaths.
Yakubu noted that INEC has conducted around 20 by-elections since July 2023 and raised the possibility of allowing political parties to directly nominate replacements for members who vacate seats due to death or resignation.
He added that the commission is consulting stakeholders on the feasibility of this approach, explaining that frequent by-elections pose logistical challenges.
On future elections, Yakubu highlighted ongoing improvements, especially in areas of voter accreditation and uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, with particular attention to preparations for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election.