Funds delaying by-elections to fill vacant legislative seats – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission has attributed the delay in conducting by-elections across the country, including the one to replace the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, to financial constraints.
The PUNCH reported that since June 2023, 23 vacancies have emerged in various constituencies due to the deaths or resignations of lawmakers who assumed executive positions at federal, state, and local government levels.
INEC conducted nine by-elections so in 2024, but 14 more vacancies have been recorded, creating an ongoing challenge for the electoral body.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, who spoke to The PUNCH on Thursday, said several by-elections are pending, but no date has been fixed due to a lack of funds.
Oyekanmi explained that the commission had approached the National Assembly to request additional financial support to facilitate the electoral process.
The CPS said, “We have several bye-elections to conduct and still counting. No date has been fixed yet, and one of the reasons is lack of funds.”
In his defence of the 2025 budget proposal before the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly Complex on January 10, 2025, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the commission would require about N126bn to fund its activities for the year and begin preparations for the 2027 general elections.
He noted that the N40bn proposed in the 2025 budget by President Bola Tinubu was inadequate, particularly considering the need to cover salaries and allowances following the recent increase in the minimum wage.
He explained that in 2024, the commission received the same N40bn allocation, which was only sufficient for salaries and certain social contributions such as NHIS, pensions, and ITF.
While the government has provided N500m for the pending by-elections, he emphasised that the amount remains insufficient to cover the full cost of the exercise.
On January 22, 2025, at a consultative meeting with political party leaders, the INEC Chairman expressed concern over the financial and logistical burden posed by the increasing number of by-elections in Nigeria.
He urged the legislature to consider reforms that would introduce more cost-effective methods of filling vacancies in the National and State Assemblies.
