Akpabio Declares Three Senate Seats Vacant Following Tragic Deaths of Lawmakers; INEC Ordered to Hold Polls in Enugu, Nasarawa, and Rivers Within 30 Days

The 10th Nigerian Senate is set for a series of midterm battles after Senate President Godswill Akpabio officially declared the seats of three deceased colleagues vacant during Tuesday’s plenary session. On March 31, 2026, Akpabio “flipped the script” on a session dominated by political defections to pay a somber tribute to the fallen lawmakers before setting the wheels of democracy back in motion.

The “Solution” to the lack of representation for the affected districts is a swift electoral process. Citing the 1999 Constitution, Akpabio mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the voids left by the late Senators Okechukwu Ezea (Enugu North), Godiya Akwaashiki (Nasarawa North), and Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South-East). “Due to the tragedies that have befallen the 10th Senate, vacancies have been created for midterm elections to ensure our colleagues’ seats are filled,” Akpabio told the upper chamber.

These upcoming by-elections are expected to be a major “litmus test” for the political parties, especially as the ruling APC looks to consolidate its majority and the opposition attempts to regain ground following a “Tsunami” of recent defections. The Senate President has directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to communicate the vacancies to INEC immediately, triggering a 30-day countdown for the commission to organize the polls.

As the Senate observes a period of mourning for their departed colleagues, the political machinery in Enugu, Nasarawa, and Rivers states is already shifting into high gear. With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, these “small” by-elections are being viewed as a massive indicator of which way the national political wind is blowing.