Politics
Remo Reps Seat Still Vacant Over 90 Days After Onanuga’s Death, Against Electoral Law
was laid to rest on Friday, January 24, 2025.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, Adewunmi Onanuga, the federal lawmaker representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North — also known as the Remo Federal Constituency — passed away.
The legislator, widely credited with far-reaching projects across her constituency, was serving as the Deputy Chief Whip of Nigeria’s House of Representatives at the time of her death.
The politician, famously known as Adewunmi Ijaya, was laid to rest on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Another federal lawmaker from Ogun State, Ibrahim Ayokunle of Ifo/Ewekoro, was named her successor as Deputy Chief Whip of the Green Chamber on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
But since her passing, her seat has remained vacant.
And this situation has persisted beyond the constitutionally stipulated 90-day window for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election to fill the vacancy.
According to Section 76 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended):
“Elections to the House of Representatives shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
Section 25(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides further clarity:
“If a seat of a member of the National Assembly is vacant, the Commission shall, within 90 days from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy, conduct an election to fill the vacancy.”
Findings revealed that the election to fill the vacant seat should have been conducted by mid-April 2025.
But as of press time, the situation remains unclear.
“INEC has not issued any guidelines to kick-start the process, not to talk of political parties exploring how to pick candidates,” sources familiar with the matter disclosed.
Additional information revealed growing discontent among the people of the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency over the lack of representation in the House of Representatives.
Onanuga, who was serving her second term at the time of her demise, is credited with facilitating unprecedented development in the Remo Federal Constituency — a level never before seen from a member of the House of Representatives.
