The Labour Party has finished its primary elections to pick candidates for six by-elections scheduled for June 20, 2026, following vacancies created by the deaths of three senators and the resignation of another.
Former Information Minister Labaran Maku won the Nasarawa North Senatorial District ticket through consensus at the party's zonal office, with party members turning out in large numbers to affirm his candidacy. Diplomat Amb. Simon Ejike Eze secured the Enugu North Senatorial District nomination through what the party described as a peaceful and rancour-free consensus process.
Four other candidates emerged through the same method: Sam Kinanee for Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Ige Aiyeobasan Asemudara for Ondo South Senatorial District, Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad for Dawaki Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, and Muhammad Aliyu Galadima for Zuru State Constituency in Kebbi State.
Three of the senatorial vacancies came from deaths. Senator Okey Ezea from Enugu North died on November 18, 2025, at 62 after a brief illness. He remained the only Labour Party elected official in Enugu State who stayed with the party despite mass defections last year. Nasarawa North's Senator Godiya Akwashiki died on December 31, 2025, at 52 after a prolonged illness. Rivers South-East Senator Barinada Mpigi passed away on February 18, 2026, at 64.
Ondo South's seat became vacant on April 28 when the Senate declared it empty following Senator Jimoh Ibrahim's appointment by President Bola Tinubu as Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The Labour Party praised INEC for conducting the primaries transparently and successfully, and urged members and supporters to rally behind the candidates in the June 20 by-elections.
