Electoral Body Fixes June 20 For Bye-Elections Across Six States

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed Saturday, June 20, 2026 for the conduct of bye-elections in six states of the Federation. The commission announced this in a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Rear Admiral Jamila Malafa (rtd) who was sworn in recently.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, at a brief ceremony held at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja to receive the new National Commissioner.

He said the bye-elections would be held alongside the Ekiti State Governorship Election scheduled for same date.

He said the elections will cover senatorial vacancies in Enugu, Nasarawa, Rivers and Ondo states, as well as a State House of Assembly seat in Kebbi state and a House of Representatives seat in Kano state.

“We’re headed into some off-cycle elections pretty soon. Next Ekiti State Governorship Election Date: June 20, 2026

“On the same day, the Commission will conduct bye-elections to fill the vacant seats,” the INEC Chairman said.

“The senatorial seats declared vacant in Enugu, Nasarawa, Rivers and Ondo States will be filled, as well as the Kebbi State House of Assembly seat and the House of Representatives seat in Kano State,” he added.

Speaking on the appointment of the new National Commissioner, Prof. Amupitan described Rear Admiral Malafa (rtd.) as a seasoned professional with vast experience in both military service and electoral operations.

He said that she had previously worked with the Commission in the area of logistics and also served as the Director of Legal Services in the Nigerian Navy, bringing with her a wealth of administrative and legal experience to her new role.

The Chairman reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to its constitutional mandate.

“We have a duty. “We are committed to conducting elections into the offices of President, National Assembly, Governors, State Houses of Assembly and Area Councils in a credible and transparent manner,” he said.

The newly sworn-in National Commissioner, in her remarks, thanked the Commission for the reception accorded her and promised to contribute meaningfully to the Commission’s work.

“I’m happy to be here and I thank you for the warm welcome. “I look forward to working with all for the development and stability of our country and for the success of coming elections,” she said.

Among those present were National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, the Director-General of The Electoral Institute (TEI), senior officials of the Commission and family members of the new National Commissioner.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has also stepped up efforts to improve the quality of its electoral training programmes with the commencement of a two-day Post-Election Training Audit (PETA) and Pre-Training Assessment Workshop (PRETA) in Abuja, as part of preparations for the 2026 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States.

The exercise took place at the Silver Green Hotel, Abuja from April 29 to 30, 2026. It reviewed training activities deployed during the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election and the 2026 FCT Area Council elections and set the tone for improved training delivery ahead of the forthcoming polls.

Declaring the workshop open, the Acting Director General of The Electoral Institute (TEI), Prof. Ibrahim Sani, said the audit was crucial to sustaining electoral credibility, adding that the performance of poll workers was still a defining factor in public confidence.

“The perception of fairness, credibility and inclusivity of an election is largely determined by the performance of poll workers,” he said, warning that deploying poorly trained personnel poses significant risks to the integrity of elections.

He commended the performance of the election officials in the Anambra and FCT elections, and said the results were a reflection of the improved quality of their training, while urging the participants to critically review past exercises and proffer actionable reforms.

The Acting Administrative Secretary of TEI, Malam Nasiru Umar, stated in his welcome address that the audit would provide objective insights into the effectiveness of training activities and assist in mitigating lapses in the run-up to future elections.

“Now that these experiences are still fresh in our memories, it is more advantageous to analyze what went right or wrong,” he said, calling on participants to be frank and constructive in their contributions.

Also addressing the gathering, the Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs Helen Ajayi, described the combined PETA and PRETA engagements as timely and strategic, stressing that electoral training remains a critical pillar for credible elections.

She called for a deeper interrogation of training processes, materials, logistics and field performance, “What worked well must be institutionalised; what did not must be improved with urgency and precision,” she said.

The Director of Training, Dr. Binta Kasim Mohammed, in a document outlining the objectives of the PETA/PRETA exercise, said the audit is to comprehensively review the implementation and management of training activities for the Anambra and FCT elections, while charting a clear course for the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls, adding more insight into the purpose of the workshop.

According to her, the exercise touched on important aspects of the training cycle such as recruitment and qualification of participants, shortlisting, collaboration between departments and stakeholders’ engagement including NYSC.

The objectives also include assessment of training logistics, venue suitability, adequacy of materials, quality of facilitation and effectiveness of training delivery, especially in relation to election processes and technology deployment.

Dr. Mohammed also highlighted the need for coordination, supervision, security at training venues, reporting systems and conduct of participants, adding that the audit would look at the results, including the performance of ad hoc personnel and the effect of training on election day operations.

She said the exercise would also identify challenges and come up with recommendations to strengthen future training frameworks.

Key departments of the Commission delivered goodwill messages.

Represented by the Deputy Director, ICT, Mrs. Anthonia Idemudia, the Director of ICT said the Commission is committed to continuous improvement and alignment with global best practices.

“We are here because we are looking to continuously improve our processes and procedures,” she said, encouraging participants to be open and frank about where they could be improved.

Similarly, Director of Electoral Operations, Mallam Isah Magagi Gumi, stressed the need for synergy among departments for effective training outcomes.

The Commission said the combined PETA and PRETA approach underscores its commitment to institutional learning, reviewing past experiences while preparing proactively for future elections.

It was confident that the outcome of the workshop would further enhance the capacity of its training architecture and consolidate gains in the delivery of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections across Nigeria.