The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled Saturday, June 20, 2026, for the conduct of the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election to fill the vacant seat in the National Assembly.
The vacancy arose following the appointment of former senator, Jimoh Ibrahim, as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The Senate formally declared the seat vacant on April 28, 2026, and subsequently directed INEC to conduct a bye-election in accordance with constitutional provisions.
The election will be conducted across the six local government areas that make up the Ondo South Senatorial District: Okitipupa, Irele, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.
According to INEC, a total of 673,446 registered voters are expected to participate in the poll, which will be held across 1,354 polling units and 66 electoral wards within the district.
The commission has cleared four political parties to participate in the election. They are the All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Boot Party.
INEC said the Ondo South senatorial contest will be conducted alongside the governorship election in Ekiti State and several other bye-elections scheduled for states including Enugu State, Nasarawa State, Rivers State, and Kano State.
The electoral body assured voters and stakeholders of a transparent and credible process, stating that it will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) throughout the election.
INEC also reminded eligible voters that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be allowed to vote. The commission clarified that individuals currently participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise would not be eligible to vote in the bye-election.
With political activities expected to intensify in the coming weeks, attention is already turning to the contest to determine who will emerge as the next senator representing Ondo South in the National Assembly.
