LIVE UPDATES: Voting Commences As INEC Holds Bye-Elections, Rerun In 26 States

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting bye and re-run elections in 80 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across 26 states of the federation.

The elections are being conducted to fill vacancies in not less than three senatorial districts, 17 federal and 28 state constituencies spread across 80 local government areas, 575 registration areas/wards and 8,934 polling units involving 4,904,627 registered voters, out of which 4,613,291 PVCs have been collected.

States where the elections are holding include Ebonyi, Yobe, Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, and Anambra among others.

Voting has already commenced in some of the states the elections are taking place and Channels Television will keep you up to speed with all the latest information. Refresh this page for more updates.

7:06am: Ahead of the Yobe East Senatorial bye-election, there has been a partial vehicular movements in Damaturu the state capital as at 7.00am despite ban by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Others are trekking to reach their polling units before the commencement of the election proper at 8.30am.

8:30am: INEC ad- hoc staff have arrives at the polling unit 045 Kakuri Hausa of Makera Constituency in Kaduna State ahead of the rerun election in five polling units in the constituency. The INEC officials arrived as early as 7am, while voting is expected to commence by 8:30am .

8:55am: Massive turn out of voters at Yabo B polling unit for the House of Representatives rerun election of Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency in Sokoto State.

9:03am: At Lamurde primary school, polling unit 007 Jalingo, Taraba State, election has also started with a large turn out of voters. Security agencies are also seen ensuring orderliness.

9:03am: Voting has commenced at polling unit 005, GGSS Barnawa in Kaduna South.

9:09am: A voter at polling unit 45 Kakuri Hausa express anger over the failure of the BVAS to capture him and other voters. He is calling on INEC to immediately replace the machine to enable the voters to cast their votes.

9:21am: The technical Hitches with the BVAS at polling unit 045 Kakuri Hausa has been rectified and accreditation and voting have commenced.

9:26: Accreditation and voting ongoing at Zawan B polling unit of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

9:27: A chaotic situation at MAGINA S FAWA 011 polling unit in Yabo, Sokoto State on issues surrounding voting by proxy.

9:45am: Voting has begun in the three constituencies where bye election is going on in Kano State. In Rimi ward, Rimin Gado Local Aovernment Area of the state, voting begun earlier at 8:30am.

9:45am: Voting is ongoing at the Bakaro Primary School Polling Unit 043 for the Bauchi Assembly constituency rerun election

9:53am: Channels TV reporter was attacked at Rimi Ward in Rimi Local government area and forced to delete all the visuals he took with his phone in the presence of police. One of the attackers pulled a knife and threatened to kill the reporter.

10:07am: There’s heavy deployment of security at Ward 11,unit 19 Ogbalanja, Saki West LGA, Oyo State to avoid any breach of peace in the area as voting progresses.

10:26: Yusuf Abubakar, a PDP agent alleges that politicians are buying votes at polling unit 009 Barnawa in Kaduna State.

10:27: Voting is underway at Itak unit 002, Itak Ward 11, Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Elections materials arrived late.

10:51am: Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State votes at Bunigari, expresses satisfaction with the conduct of bye-election.