By-elections: APC wins 2 senate, 5 reps seats

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured two additional senatorial seats following Saturday’s rerun/by-elections in the majority of the states where polls have been concluded.

The APC won in Yobe East and Ebonyi South Senatorial Districts, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The two senatorial seats became vacant when Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe East) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South), both of the APC, resigned after their ministerial appointments by President Bola Tinubu.

The APC’s senatorial candidate, Musa Mustapha, who is also an in-law to Geidam, was return elected after scoring 68,778 votes to defeat his closest rival Aji Kolomi (Ajiko) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who obtained 18,878 votes.

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In Ebonyi, Prof. Anthony Ani, a lecturer with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, was returned elected as senator for Ebonyi South after polling 46,270 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ifeanyi Eleje of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who garnered 3,513.

Silas Onu of the PDP got 2,783 votes; while the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Linus Okorie, scored 2,710 votes in the election.

Daily Trust reports that out of the 436,254 registered voters in the five local government areas where the by-election took place, only 56,363 votes were cast, while rejected votes were 695.

For the rerun/by-elections into the House of Representatives, the APC won four seats; the PDP, three and the Young Progressives Party (YPP), two.

The APC won the election in Dandi/Arewa and Yauri/Shanga/ Ngaski federal constituencies of Kebbi State as well as the Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State.

In Dandi/Arewa Federal Constituency, Garba Kamba was returned elected with 32,432 votes to defeat his opponent, Abdullahi Umar-Kamba of the PDP, who polled 31,858 votes in the rerun election.

For Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski Federal Constituency of Kebbi State, Garba Umar (Bullet) of the APC emerged winner after polling 54,885 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Garba Hassan of the PDP, who polled 16,652 votes.

Umar will be replacing Tanko Yusuf Sununu, who is the Minister of State for Education.

In Ondo’s Akoko North East/North West Federal Constituency, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, a son of former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, was elected to replace the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

Ehindero polled 35,504 votes to defeat his closest rival, Olalekan Bada of the PDP, who garnered 15,328 votes.

The APC also won the by-election into the Surulere Federal Constituency in Lagos State vacated by the former Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, following his appointment as the Chief of Staff to the President.

Fuad Laguda, the candidate of APC in the election, was adjudged to have polled 11,203 votes to defeat his closest challengers from LP and PDP, who both polled less than 1,000 votes combined.

In Katsina State, the candidate of APC, Shehu Dalhatu Tafoki, emerged victorious in the Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa Federal Constituency by-election in Katsina State.

Recall that the elections petition tribunal had earlier declared as inconclusive the Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa Federal Constituency election result, where the APC candidate, Tafoki, challenged the initial victory of Mohammed Jamilu of the PDP.

The court ordered for fresh elections in some polling units and supplementary election in other polling units of the constituency, a judgment upheld by the court of appeal.

After Saturday’s polls, INEC declared Tafoki the winner with a total of 49,807 votes, surpassing Jamilu’s 49,067 votes.

In Anambra State, the YPP beat the ruling party in the state, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to win the two federal constituencies’ elections.

For Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, the INEC declared Peter Uzokwe of YPP as the winner with 25,518 votes to defeat the current member representing the federal constituency, Uchenna Elodimuo of APGA, who scored 25,412 votes.

The breakdown of the results collated after the rerun election showed that the YPP candidate won in Nnewi North Local Government Area by polling 17,112 votes while APGA’s candidate polled 8,750 votes in the local government.

However, the APGA’s candidate won in Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Local Government Areas, but the votes from the two local government areas were not enough to override the YPP candidate’s votes in Nnewi North.

For Orumba North and South Federal Constituency, YPP’s candidate, Chinwe Nnabuife, was also re-affirmed the winner of the rerun election.

The PDP emerged victorious in the re-run election held in Birnin Kudu/Buji Federal Constituency of Jigawa State with its candidate, Adamu Yakubu, scoring 43,053 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Da’u Magaji Aliyu of the APC, who secured 42,544 votes.

The PDP also emerged victorious in the rerun election for Fika/Fune Federal Constituency of Yobe State when its candidate, Muhammad Buba Jajere polled 32,557 votes to defeat his closest rival, Muhammad Aliyu Sarkin Kasuwa, the candidate of the APC, who scored 31,969 votes.

In Sokoto State, Umar Yusuf-Yabo of the PDP was able to retain his seat despite losing the rerun election held for his constituency, Yabo-Shagari Federal Constituency.

Yusuf-Yabo was representing the area before the Court of Appeal ordered for rerun in some polling units across the two local government areas.

The Returning Officer, Professor Abdullahi Bagudo, declared Yusuf-Yabo winner having secured the highest majority of the lawful votes. He said Yusuf-Yabo of PDP scored a total of 27,041 votes while the APC candidate Dan-Bukari scored a total votes of 26,213 after adding the votes earlier secured in the 2023 general elections with the votes in the rerun election conducted in the 26 polling units of the constituency.

State constituencies’ elections

Aside from the Senate and House of Representatives elections, winners have also emerged in the state constituencies’ elections held on Saturday.

The APC won one of the two state constituency elections in Nasarawa, two out of the three state constituency elections in Delta, one each in Benue and Borno states, and three in Kaduna.

In Kaduna, Yusuf Liman, the speaker of the state assembly, whose elections was earlier declared inconclusive, retained his seat as the representative of Makera State Constituency.

The PDP won all four state House of Assembly re-run elections in 42 polling units across three local government areas of Bauchi State. The party won one constituency in Delta state.

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has won two more state constituencies in Kano State with voting in the third constituency suspended due to violence. The party also won one constituency in Nasarawa State; while the APGA won in one Bayelsa State constituency election.

From Habibu Idris Gimba (Damaturu), Nabob Ogbonna (Abakaliki), Ismail Adebayo (Birnin Kebbi), Tosin Tope (Akure), Titus Eleweke (Awka), Ali Rabiu Ali (Dutse), Abubakar Auwal (Sokoto) & Tijjani Ibrahim (Katsina)

Additional reporting from:

Umar Muhammed (Lafia), Kelvin Meluwa (Asaba), Hassan Ibrahim (Bauchi), Hope Abah (Makurdi), Ahmed Ali (Kafanchan), Bassey Willie (Yenagoa), Hamisu Kabir Matazu (Maiduguri), Maryam Ahmadu-Suka & Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba (Kaduna)