On Saturday August 16, 2025, Nigerians in different parts of the country went to the polls as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted a series of elections to fill vacant seats in the National Assembly and state legislatures.

The seats became vacant after a mix of resignations, deaths, and court-ordered reruns following disputes from the 2023 general elections.

The elections include two senatorial districts, in Anambra and Edo, five federal constituencies across Ogun, Jigawa, Kaduna, Oyo, and Edo, and nine state assembly constituencies spread across Adamawa, Anambra, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara. Two additional reruns were ordered in Enugu South I and Gh ari/Tsanyawa in Kano, where earlier polls were either cancelled or disrupted.

Altogether, more than 3.5 million voters are registered to take part. The process cuts across 32 local government areas, over 350 wards, and nearly 7,000 polling units, with INEC deploying about 30,000 officials to manage the vote.

Security has been one of the main talking points. The Inspector-General of Police ordered heavy deployment across the affected states and banned VIPs from moving around with escorts or armed aides near polling stations. A restriction of movement from midnight until 6pm was also enforced in most areas to reduce the risk of violence and ballot disruption.

In Edo State, nearly 8,000 police officers were on duty, with security checkpoints mounted across senatorial zones. In Kano, security was even tighter following recent arrests of suspected political thugs. Authorities moved quickly to prevent any clashes at polling stations. Kaduna, Ogun, and Taraba also witnessed increased deployments, with local police and civil defence officers stationed at voting centres.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) added another 20,000 personnel nationwide to support the police, making today one of the most heavily policed by-elections in recent memory.

The elections did not come without political drama.

A late-night ruling by a Federal High Court allowed the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to field candidates after initially being barred by INEC over disputes from its primaries. The judgment forced INEC to adjust its list at the last minute, though the commission has said it will appeal.

In Kaduna, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the SDP accused the state government of plotting to tilt the process in its favour, a claim the authorities denied. Meanwhile, uncertainty still surrounds the Labour Party’s participation, with legal battles still ongoing in some constituencies.

Reports On Ground

Turnout has so far varied by location. In some polling units in Oyo and Anambra, early reports suggested low voter turnout, though the atmosphere remained peaceful. In Edo Central, voters complained about slow accreditation due to BVAS machines, while in Anambra South, Governor Charles Soludo commended residents for keeping the exercise calm and orderly.

INEC has assured Nigerians that results will be uploaded to its IReV portal once voting closes, usually between 3pm and 4pm, to ensure transparency.