Committees have been established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to supervise primary elections for state and national assembly seats. In advance of the bye-elections on February 3, these committees are tasked with overseeing the primaries in nine states.
Lagos, Ondo, Kebbi, Taraba, Yobe, Benue, Kaduna, Ebonyi, and Borno states will all hold primary elections.
President Bola Tinubu’s selection of National Assembly members to executive positions was the primary cause of the majority of vacancies. He named Dave Umahi, the minister of works, Ibrahim Gaidam, the minister of police affairs, Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, and Tanko Sununu, the minister of state for education, to his cabinet.
In the Senate, Gbajabiamila represented the Surulere I Federal Constituency of Lagos State, while Umahi and Gaidam represented Ebonyi South and Yobe East, respectively. Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski Federal Constituency of Kebbi State and Akoko North-east/Akoko North-west Federal Constituency of Ondo State were represented in the House by Sununu and Tunji-Ojo, respectively.
In addition, a vacancy exists in the Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency in Taraba State due to the passing of Isma’ila Maihanchi.
The state assemblies of the states of Borno, Benue, and Kaduna are vacant.
The schedule for these bye-elections and reruns was made public by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last month. Party primaries and dispute resolutions are set for January 5–9.
Committees in the State of Ebonyi
Ifeanyi Egwim serves as the committee secretary, and Smart Iheasor serves as the chair of the seven-member screening committee for Ebonyi State.
Edele Oketa, Thomas Shagbaor, Attah Moh, Opeyemi Akinsiju, and Ramatu Abubakar are the other members.
Akin Akinsehinwa and Prince Eze chair the district’s primary election committee, while Aliyu Kunde chairs the five-member appeal committee and Jennifer Adike serves as secretary.
Surulere
A five-member committee led by Buba Yusuf will hold the primary election to fill the Surulere I Federal Constituency vacancy. Dapo Lam-Adeshina will act as the committee’s secretary. Both Mr. Yusuf and Mr. Lam-Adesina were members of the House of Representatives in the past.
Hakeem Okunade, the secretary, serves as the chair of the seven-member screening committee.
Before leaving the House in June 2023 to assume the position of chief of staff, Gbajabiamila was a member of the House for twenty years.
In addition to holding bye elections, the commission is holding new elections in 35 constituencies as a result of the decisions made by the several electoral petition tribunals.
View the entire list down below.