The Nigerian Senate has officially directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the vacant Senate seats in Anambra South and Edo Central Senatorial Districts.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio issued the directive during plenary while formally declaring the seats vacant. The vacancies arose following the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the Governor of Edo State.

INEC had previously stated in January 2025 that it was awaiting an official request from the Senate before proceeding with the elections, particularly for Anambra South, which has remained unrepresented since 2024.

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who represented Anambra South, passed away in London on July 27, 2024, at the age of 52, reportedly due to cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, Senator Okpebholo’s victory in the Edo governorship election on September 22, 2024, created a vacancy in Edo Central’s Senate seat. Okpebholo, the APC candidate, secured 291,667 votes, defeating Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,655 votes.

Following Okpebholo’s election, the Senate had already declared the Edo Central seat vacant in December 2024 after a valedictory session in his honor.

INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Elizabeth Agu, reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to conduct the by-elections once directed by the Senate. Speaking during a stakeholders’ dialogue organized by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Awka, Agu assured that the electoral body remains committed to filling the vacant seats promptly.