By Olawale Abiola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled the timetable for bye-elections to fill 16 vacant legislative seats across 12 states, scheduled for August 16, 2025.
These include the Senatorial seat vacated by Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State as well as that of late Senator Ifeanyi Uba, which became vacant following his death.
The commission also announced the resumption of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, kicking off online on August 18, with in-person registration starting August 25, 2025.
A review of INEC’s timetable revealed that the bye-elections will cover two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, and nine state assembly seats, involving approximately 3,553,659 registered voters across 32 local government areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units.
INEC says it plans to deploy 30,451 officials to ensure a smooth electoral process.
The constituencies include Anambra South and Edo Central Senatorial Districts, as well as federal constituencies like Ovia South West/Ovia South East (Edo), Babura/Garki (Jigawa), Chikun/Kajuru (Kaduna), Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North (Ogun), and Ibadan North (Oyo). State assembly seats span Adamawa, Anambra, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara.
However, bye-elections in Khana II (Rivers State) and Talata Mafara South (Zamfara State) are on hold due to a state of emergency and ongoing legal disputes, respectively.
Additionally, two court-ordered rerun elections in Enugu South I (Enugu State) and Ghari/Tsanyawa (Kano State), previously disrupted by violence, will be held alongside the bye-elections following assurances of enhanced security.
The timetable outlines key dates: party primaries will take place from July 17 to July 21, 2025, with nomination forms submitted via INEC’s online portal from July 22 to July 26. Public campaigns will run from August 2 to August 14, 2025.
Yakubu emphasized strict adherence to these timelines due to the tight schedule for bye-elections compared to general elections.
INEC also confirmed the resumption of its CVR exercise to enable eligible Nigerians to register, update voter records, or replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The nationwide CVR will begin with online pre-registration on August 18, 2025, followed by in-person registration on August 25, conducted simultaneously across all 37 state and FCT offices, as well as 774 local government offices.
For Anambra State, ahead of its November 8, 2025, governorship election, a separate CVR exercise will run from July 8 to July 17, 2025, across all 326 wards, operating daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including weekends.
This early registration window is expected to allow new voters, transfers, and PVC replacements.
