THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Saturday, September 19, 2026, for the conduct of five legislative by-elections across Gombe, Bauchi, Delta and Kano states.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Tunde Oketola, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Oketola said the elections would comprise one federal constituency and four State House of Assembly constituencies.
According to him, the federal constituency election will hold in Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State, while the four state constituency elections will take place in Disina and Sakwa in Bauchi State, Udu in Delta State, and Dawakin Kudu in Kano State.
INEC also listed all five constituencies on its official election calendar for September 19.
The ICIR reports that by-elections are being conducted to fill legislative vacancies created under different circumstances.
The commission has said that the bye-elections would be conducted under the applicable constitutional and electoral provisions.
INEC’s current regulations and guidelines are issued pursuant to the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act 2026.
In Gombe State, the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency seat became vacant following the death of its former representative, Yaya Bauchi Tongo, who died in June 2026.
INEC subsequently released a timetable for the bye-election, with political parties scheduled to conduct their primaries before the poll.
In Bauchi State, two State House of Assembly seats are up for grabs. The Sakwa State Constituency, which covers parts of Zaki Local Government Area, became vacant following the death of its former lawmaker, Wanzam Zaki, who died on June 21, 2026.
The Disina State Constituency seat in Shira Local Government Area became vacant after its former representative, Saleh Hodi, resigned to contest for a chairmanship position.
The Delta election follows a different political development, as the State House of Assembly declared the Udu State Constituency seat vacant after its former occupant, Collins Egbetamah, defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The Assembly relied on Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in declaring the seat vacant and directed its Clerk to notify INEC.
In Kano State, the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency seat became vacant after its former representative, Rabiu Shuaibu, contested and won the June 2026 by-election for the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency. The federal seat had become vacant following the death of its former occupant, Muhammad Hassan Danjuma.
Shuaibu subsequently contested and won the federal constituency seat, leaving the State House of Assembly position vacant and triggering the need for a fresh election.
The September 19 polls will come as INEC continues preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The commission has already opened dedicated platforms for stakeholders participating in the September bye-elections. Its polling-agent portal states that political parties are required to upload the details of their polling agents electronically, with the portal scheduled to close at midnight on September 10, 2026.
INEC has also established an online accreditation process for election observer groups for the four states involved in the bye-elections.
The September 19 exercise will also provide another test of INEC’s preparations ahead of the next general elections.
Under the commission’s current timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly polls are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.