The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in 12 out of 16 legislative seats contested in Saturday’s bye-elections across 12 states. According to the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC won all seats on offer in Ogun, Edo, Niger, Kaduna, Taraba, Jigawa, and Kogi.
The APC recorded a clean sweep in Kaduna, winning the Federal House of Representatives seat for Chikun/Kajuru constituency and two Kaduna State House of Assembly seats in Zaria. In Niger State, the APC’s candidate, Matthew Daje, was declared winner of the Munya State Constituency bye-election.
In Kano, the APC and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) shared the two seats contested. The APC’s Ya’u Garba Gwarmai won the Ghari/Tsanyawa state constituency seat, while the NNPP’s Ali Lawal Alhassan won the Shanono/Bagwai state constituency seat.
Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC), have criticized the bye-elections, accusing the APC and INEC of rigging and undermining democracy. They warned that repeating such actions in 2027 would spell doom for the polity.
President Bola Tinubu congratulated all the winners of the bye-elections, commending INEC for conducting hitch-free elections. He also congratulated the new APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, on the party’s emphatic victory.
The APC described its victories as an endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda. The party’s spokesman, Felix Morka, commended the president for creating a level playing field for the bye-election contest and urged the victorious candidates to reward their constituents with purposeful legislative interventions.
