By Clifford Ndujihe, Vincent Unumadu, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Omeiza Ajayi, John Alechenu, Wole Mosadomi, Ozioruva Aliu, Bashir Bello, Femi Bolaji, James Ogunnaike, Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Mohammed Abubakar, Luminous Jannamike & Adeola Badru
THE All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, showed its electoral might by clinching 12 of the 16 legislative seats contested in Saturday’s bye-elections across 12 states of the country.
According to the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the APC won all seats on offer in the bye-polls in Ogun, Edo, Niger, Kaduna, Taraba, Jigawa, Adamawa and Kogi.
It shared the two seats in Kano with the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP but had no answer to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra; and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo. As it is, the APC won in 12 constituencies; APGA won in two; PDP won in one, and NNPP in one.
On a day President Bola Tinubu saluted the victors across party lines, opposition parties, including PDP, LP, coalition-backed African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, picked holes in the bye-elections, which they said were rigged.
They also warned that repeating same in 2027 would spell doom for the polity.
APC, NNPP share spoils in Kano
In Kano, the APC and NNPP shared the two seats contested. The APC defeated the ruling NNPP, in the rerun election for Ghari/Tsanyawa state constituency seat
Declaring the result, the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Yusuf, announced APC’s candidate, Ya’u Garba Gwarmai, winner with 31,472 votes, defeating his closest rival, Mohammed Yusuf Ali of the NNPP, who polled 27,931 votes.
In a twist, however, the NNPP bounced back in the Shanono/Bagwai state constituency by-election, where its candidate, Ali Lawal Alhassan, was declared winner. INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, said Alhassan polled 16,198 votes to defeat APC’s Abdullahi Ahmad Muhammad, who secured 5,347 votes.
Both elections were highly competitive as they took place in Kano North senatorial district, home to Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, and House Committee on Appropriation Chairman, Abubakar Kabir Bichi of the APC, as well as NNPP’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Muhammad Bello Butu-Butu.
The Shanono/Bagwai seat became vacant, following the death of APC lawmaker, Halilu Kundila, while the Ghari/Tsanyawa seat was voided due to irregularities in the previous election, though it was initially occupied by an APC member.
Despite the setback, NNPP still maintains majority in Kano House of Assembly with 26 members, while APC now has 14 seats.
Yesterday, APC stakeholders alleged that there was no election in Shanono/Bagwai, while the NNPP said it would challenge the Ghari/Tsanyawa result in court.