The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the conduct of three hanging elections in Lagos and Rivers states as well as the FCT.

This decision, according to a statement by the commission, comes after months of intensive planning and wide consultations.

The elections approved by the commission are as follows:

Lagos, House of Representative election – Saturday Dec 3, 2016.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – Councillorship election – Saturday Dec 3, 2016.
Rivers – National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) and State House of Assembly elections – Saturday December 10, 2016.

The statement was signed by Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu.

The Nigerian Senate had on Wednesday threatened to suspend its sittings if the INEC does not conduct the re-run senatorial election in Rivers State by December 10.

The resolution followed a motion put forward by the Deputy Senate President, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, in which he stated that the situation had led to the absence of representatives from Rivers State both in the Senate and House of Representatives after the elections were declared inconclusive.

After the deliberations, the Senate resolved to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections to vacant senatorial seats in Rivers State not later than December 10 or Senate Plenary will be suspended.

Election was cancelled in eight local government areas by the electoral body in the state, as a result of the chaos witnessed in some wards in 2015.