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On October 31 2020, there will be by-elections in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District; Bayelsa West Senatorial District; Nganzai State Constituency, Borno State; Cross River North Senatorial District and Obudu State Constituency, Cross River State.
Other by-elections will hold in Imo North Senatorial District, Lagos East Senatorial District; Kosofe 2 State Constituency, Lagos State; Plateau South Senatorial District; Bakura State Constituency, Zamfara State; and Ibaji State Constituency, Kogi State.
The Lagos State by-elections were confirmed when the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Sam Olumekun, served a notice of election at the Lagos East Senatorial district and at the Kosofe State House of Assembly Constituency on August 17.
Read: What INEC Didn’t Tell You About Getting Your PVC
1. What Is A By-Election?
A by-election is an election that is held to fill a vacant legislative seat when a member of the legislature has resigned or died, and their seat has been declared vacant.
In the case of Lagos State, the death of Senator Adebayo Osinowo, representing Lagos East Senatorial District, and the death of Tunde Braimoh representing Kosofe 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly meant that a by-election to fill their seats was needed.
2. Where Is Lagos East Senatorial District?
Section 71 of the constitution makes it compulsory for every state in Nigeria to be divided into three senatorial districts, and every senatorial district must have a member who will represent it at the Senate.
Senatorial districts comprise Local Government Areas.
In Lagos, Lagos East senatorial district comprise 5 Local Government Areas, including: Epe Local Government Area, Ibeju/Lekki Local Government Area, Ikorodu Local Government Area, Kosofe Local Government Area and Somolu Local Government Area.
The wards that make up the Kosofe 2 constituency include: Ketu-Alapere, Ikosi/Ketu, Isheri/Olowo-Ora, Agboyi 1, Agboyi 2 and Odo-Ogun/Ajegunle.
3. Who Are The Contenders In The Lagos By-Elections?
12 candidates will be contesting in the Lagos East senatorial by-elections while 8 candidates will be contesting in the Kosofe 2 by-elections.
For the Lagos East senatorial district by-elections, Muyiwa Adebanjo of the Action Alliance (AA), Mercy Adeoye of the African Action Congress (AAC), John Kome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Adebowale Ogunlaru of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Adetokunbo Abiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are some of the aspirants.
Others are Olusola Babatope of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Florence Trautman of the Labour Party (LP), Adijat Lawal of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Babatunde Gbadamosi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Olakunle Adisa of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Saheed Aluko of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Taiwo Temitope of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
For the Kosofe 2 constituency by-election, John Akerele of the Action Alliance (AA), Sadiq Olawale of the African Action Congress (AAC), Saheed Wasiu Obafemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adekunle Oladapo of the Labour Party (LP), Muyideen Agoro of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ademorin Adelaja of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Sikiru Alebiosu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Mary Abojeh of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are the aspirants.
4. What Are Their Plans?
Mr Tokubo Abiru of the APC has stated that he will focus on making Lagos to be granted a “special status” if elected as Senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, considering that Lagos is the entertainment, financial and commercial capital of Nigeria.
He also said he will focus on the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the reconstruction of the Ikorodu-Sagamu road and the reconstruction of the Ikorodu-Epe-Ijebu-Ode highway if he is elected into office as a senator.
Babatunde Gbadamosi of the PDP has also stated that his plans are based on “quality representation” for the people, and that he will make sure negative laws are amended if elected.
Chief Yeye Florence Trautman of the Labour Party (LP) is described as “International Female Gender Activist cum Public Speaker, an American Artiste, Film Producer an agriculturalist/Farmer”, but nothing can really be found of her mainfesto online, including that of other aspirants.
5. What are the voter numbers?
INEC has stated that over 1.4 million registered voters will participate in the October 31 by-elections of the Lagos East Senatorial district.
INEC also added that over 280,363 registered voters will participate in the Kosofe 2 State Constituency by-election.
However, not all registered voters have their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), which makes them ineligible to vote in the elections.
Read: Why Aren’t People Registering For Their Permanent Voter’s Cards
6. How can you find your polling unit in the by-elections?
A polling unit is where a person can register to vote, or is registered to vote.
You can locate your polling unit using INEC’s Polling Unit Locator Tool.
It is advisable that your polling unit is very near to your residence because of the restricted movement on election days.
If you have also relocated to another place outside the where you initially registered, you will have to transfer your registration to a polling unit within your new area of residence as you cannot vote in a polling unit without prior registration.
You can transfer your registration by following the guidelines on the INEC website. However, you must do so at least 60 days before an election.
*Update
The by-elections will now hold in 11 states in Nigeria on December 5, 2020 after INEC was forced to postpone the elections because of the violence that greeted the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests.
We hope you’ve learned a thing or two about how to unfuck yourself when the Nigerian government moves mad. Check back every weekday for more Zikoko Citizen explainers.
