The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed September 19 for the by-election into the Udu Constituency of the Delta House of Assembly. The assembly declared the Udu constituency seat vacant on June 30.

The declaration followed the defection of Collins Ogbetama, who represents the area, from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

INEC’s resident electoral commissioner in Delta, Etekamba Udo-Umoren, disclosed this on Friday in Asaba at a news conference on preparations for the election.

Mr Udo-Umoren said the vacancy followed the Delta State House of Assembly’s declaration, adding that INEC is constitutionally responsible for filling it.

“What is important here is that the vacancy has been declared, INEC has been informed, and INEC is carrying out its constitutional responsibility,” he said.

He said the commission had received a directive from its headquarters to prepare for the election and had commenced the process with the notice of election.

“We have received a letter from our headquarters directing us to prepare for the by-election. The by-election has been declared, and the timetable has also been issued,” Mr Udo-Umoren said.

He said political parties that participated in the 2023 election would participate in the by-election, urging them to submit primary election notices to INEC. According to him, parties would conduct primaries from August 21 to 25, while INEC would monitor the exercise in accordance with electoral guidelines.

He said parties would submit relevant nomination forms through the nomination portal between August 29 and September 2, with nominated candidates scheduled for publication on September 8.

Mr Udo-Umoren said political parties would commence public campaigns on September 9, while the deadline for submitting the names of polling agents would also apply ahead of the election.

He added that the final day for political campaigns was September 17, warning parties and candidates to comply strictly with the prescribed timetable.

“The last day of the campaign for political parties is on September 17. All manners of campaign will end on that day,” he said.

Mr Udo-Umoren said all necessary arrangements would be completed before election day to ensure a smooth exercise and credible process for voters in the constituency.

Mr Udo-Umoren urged journalists to verify information with INEC before publication, stressing that inaccurate reports could undermine public confidence and cause considerable harm.

“When you have any time they want to reach out to us, it’s better to clarify information than publish wrong information,” he said.

He described journalists and INEC as partners in progress, urging the media to support efforts to strengthen the electoral process and promote development across the state.

“We are partners in progress. We need to move the local government forward. We need to move Delta forward. And we also need to move Nigeria forward,” he said.

(NAN)