INEC to conduct eight bye-elections, declares preparedness

<p>The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it is now confronted with conducting at least eight bye-elections across the country.</p>, <p>This was as the Chairman of the Commission, Mahmood Yakubu said the number increased from four to eight, given that two senators and two federal House of Representatives members have been nominated as Ministers by President Bola Tinubu.</p>, <p>Yakubu spoke in Lagos yesterday during a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).</p>, <p>The other four bye-elections are as a result of the resignation of a federal lawmaker, and the deaths of another federal lawmaker-elect as well as two state lawmakers.</p>, <p>Yakubu listed the constituencies affected to include the Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State where the elected lawmaker, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, resigned to take up the position of the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.</p>, <p>Another affected constituency is the Jalingo, Yerro, and Zing Federal Constituency of Taraba State. The member-elect for the constituency, Isma’ila Maihanchi, died on April 22 before he was inaugurated.</p>, <p>The other constituencies involved are Chibok Constituency of Borno State and Chikun Constituency of Kaduna State.</p>, <p>The member representing Chibok in the Borno House of Assembly, Nuhu Clark, died on April 12 while undergoing treatment in India.</p>, <p>Meanwhile, Yakubu has said the Commission would sanction erring officials in the just concluded 2023 general elections.</p>, <p>Yakubu, who disclosed this at the post-election review of the 2023 general elections with some administrative secretaries, said there were areas that required rededication, commitment and improvement.</p>, <p>He said the meeting with the administrative secretaries was to identify some of the administrative issues that affected INEC’s performance in the last elections</p>, <p>The chairman noted that the review of the administrative secretaries was important be