Millions of voters are casting their ballots in legislative elections in 26 states across Nigeria to fill vacant seats at both federal and state legislatures.
The bye-elections are for three senate seats, four Federal House of Representatives seats and 28 seats for state legislatures.
The vacancies in the parliamentary seats were created by the annulment of previous elections by courts. Others follow the deaths or resignations of lawmakers in the affected constituencies.
Two senate seats became vacant after senators David Umahi from Ebonyi state and Ibrahim Gaidam from Yobe resigned from the Senate following their appointments as ministers of works and police affairs respectively by President Bola Tinubu.
The third vacant senate seat from the central state of Plateau is being filled after a court invalidated the election of senator Simon Mwadkon who was the senate minority leader.
The stake
The seat of former speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos state, is also being filled as he resigned from his legislative post to take up the role of the Chief of Staff in the presidential palace.
There are nearly five million registered voters in all the elections and electoral officials are reporting high turnout. The authorities have restricted non-essential movements of people in areas where the elections are taking place.
The outcome of the bye-elections and rerun elections could either consolidate the parliamentary majority status of Nigeria's ruling APC party or weaken it.
People in the affected constituencies have been without representatives in parliament for months. The elections provide them with their democratic rights.
President Tinubu's escape
Nigeria held its general elections last year with the ruling APC party producing the president and majority of state governors as well as clinching majority seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
But most of the elections including of President Bola Tinubu were challenged in courts leading to months of legal battles.
Although dozens of legislative elections were annulled by the courts, President Tinubu had his victory upheld following Supreme Court's dismissal of fraud claims brought by his main rivals Atiku Abubakar of the PDP party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
President Tinubu's government is faced with numerous challenges including worsening inflation and poverty as well as insecurity.
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