The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled bye-elections in 16 federal and state constituencies across 12 states for Saturday, August 16, 2025. The exercise will involve 3,553,659 registered voters and will take place in 32 local government areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed the details on Thursday during a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja. According to him, 30,451 officials will be deployed to conduct the elections.
The bye-elections will fill legislative vacancies caused by deaths, resignations, or other legal issues. The affected areas include two senatorial districts (Anambra South and Edo Central), five federal constituencies, and nine state constituencies across Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Taraba, and Zamfara states.
However, Yakubu clarified that two declared vacancies will not be filled for now. These include Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State due to security concerns and Talata Mafara South in Zamfara State, which is subject to a legal dispute.
In addition, two court-ordered re-run elections—Enugu South I in Enugu State and Ghari/Tsanyawa in Kano State—will be conducted simultaneously with the bye-elections. These reruns were previously disrupted by violence but will now proceed following assurances from security agencies.
Yakubu also announced the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) nationwide. In Anambra State, where a governorship election is upcoming, the CVR will run from July 8 to 17 across all 326 wards, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, including weekends.
During the registration period, eligible citizens can register as new voters, request transfers, or apply for replacement of lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Those with uncollected PVCs from previous exercises can also retrieve them. Notably, online registration will not be available for this phase in Anambra.
Nationwide CVR will resume in two phases. Online pre-registration begins August 18, while in-person registration follows on August 25 across all 774 local government offices and 37 state/FCT offices.
Finally, the INEC chairman reminded political parties contesting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections to complete their primaries by June 30 and upload candidate information between July 21 and August 11, warning that the portal will automatically close at 6:00 p.m. on the final day.
