The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed September 19, 2026, for elections to fill five vacant legislative seats across four states.
The by-elections will take place in Gombe, Bauchi, Delta and Kano states, giving political parties another major electoral contest less than a year before the 2027 general elections.
The exercise will produce one new member of the House of Representatives and four members of various State Houses of Assembly.
In Gombe, voters in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency will elect a new representative at the National Assembly.
Bauchi will conduct elections in the Disina and Sakwa State Constituencies, while voters in Delta and Kano will elect representatives for the Udu and Dawakin Kudu constituencies respectively.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Tunde Oketola, confirmed the September 19 date in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Oketola said the exercise covers one federal constituency and four state constituencies.
The elections became necessary following vacancies in the affected legislative seats, with INEC now moving to restore representation for voters in the constituencies.
Beyond filling the vacant seats, the September 19 contests are expected to provide political parties with another opportunity to test their strength at the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections.
The polls will also put candidates, party structures and electoral officials under fresh scrutiny as preparations intensify for the larger 2027 electoral battle.