By Kamil Opeyemi
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared vacant, the seats of Senator Dave Umahi of Ebonyi South Senatorial District and Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe East Senatorial District following their assumption of office as ministers.
The Senate, therefore, asked the Independent National electoral commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections to fill the vacant seats immediately.
Recall that the duo of Umahi and Geidam were both inaugurated as members of the 10th National Assembly in June but they resigned in August after President Bola Tinubu appointed them as members of his cabinet.
While Umahi is the Minister of Works, Geidam is the Minister of Police Affairs.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu had on Monday said re-run and bye-elections might be held across the country next February.
“With regard to the bye-elections, you may recall that in my recent address at the swearing-in of new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) which was combined with our last quarterly meeting with the RECs nationwide, I made a commitment that the Commission will conduct elections to fill vacancies in the National and State Assembly constituencies.
“The Commission is looking at the first week of February 2024; in just a little over one month to conduct both the re-run and bye-elections,” Yakubu had said.
In a related development,former Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has been sworn in to the 10th Assembly as the Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District.
Lalong was sworn in during plenary on Wednesday at the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Lalong had resigned from his appointment as Minister of Labour and Employment last week in preparation for his swearing-in.
In a letter submitted to the President on Tuesday, the Minister reminded the President that after exhaustive legal processes, the Court of Appeal declared him as the duly elected Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him the Certificate of Return.
Lalong in the letter said his decision to resign was not made lightly because of the trust and confidence that the President reposed in him as a Minister in his cabinet having served as the Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council which delivered victory for the APC.
He said, “However, after extensive consultations with Your Excellency, critical stakeholders and my constituents, it has become expedient for me to proceed and take my seat at the Red Chambers to continue to contribute to the Renewed Hope agenda of your Government and the growth of our democracy at large.”