APC takes four of five bye-election seats, gets early 2027 boost

By: Ganiyu Olayinka

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won four of the five legislative seats contested in Saturday’s bye-elections, while opposition parties failed to match its showing in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the results after collation. The APC retained or captured seats in the North-East, North-West and South-South, but the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) pulled off an upset in the Sakwa State Constituency of Bauchi.

The polls covered the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe, the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano, the Disina and Sakwa State Constituencies in Bauchi, and the Udu State Constituency in Delta.

Gombe

The APC’s Usman Maijama’a Kallamu won the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye seat with 41,121 votes. The Labour Party (LP) came second with 3,553, followed by the APM with 872 and the New Nigeria Democratic Party (NDP) with 707.

INEC reported 47,301 votes cast, of which 46,551 were valid and 750 rejected. The election spanned 903 polling units across the Gombe, Kwami and Funakaye local government areas. Voting was generally peaceful and orderly, though some parts of the constituency recorded low turnout.

Kano

Hussaini Yusuf-Datti of the APC won the Dawakin Kudu seat with 22,890 votes. The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) placed second with 270 votes, ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 108, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) with 89, the All Peoples Party (APP) with 53 and the LP with 39.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) did not field candidates, citing internal problems and strategic considerations ahead of 2027. The NDC’s Kano chairman said the party chose to save its resources for the general election, while the ADC pointed to its unresolved leadership crisis.

Bauchi

The two Bauchi contests went in different directions. In Disina, the APC’s Yakubu Ali won with 5,846 votes, narrowly ahead of the APM with 5,225 and the PRP with 3,701.

In Sakwa, the APM ended the APC’s run. Adamu Yakubu of the APM won with 8,515 votes against the APC’s 3,771, with the PDP on 2,076 and the PRP on 727.

Bauchi Deputy Governor Auwal Jatau praised the turnout and the conduct of electoral officials. He alleged, however, that security personnel arrested and intimidated three people believed to be APM supporters.

Delta

Okolosi Ator of the APC won the Udu State Constituency election with 8,724 votes. George Biatere Orugbo of the PDP was a distant second with 214. The seat became vacant after its former occupant, Collins Egbetamah, defected from the APC to the NDC, so the result returns it to the APC.

Reactions

Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo described the APC’s four wins as significant, noting that they were spread across three geopolitical zones. On social media, he pointed to the constitutional requirement that a presidential candidate secure at least 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of the states and the Federal Capital Territory. He said this reflects the country’s diversity but held back a fuller analysis.

“Let me keep our gunpowder dry for now,” he said. “A fuller analysis of this significant factor in Presidential elections will follow on January 19th or 20th, 2027 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is declared winner of the Presidential election by the power of the people of Nigeria and the usual wailings begin.”

Phrank Shaibu, spokesperson for ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, promised to respond to a request for comment on what the results mean for the opposition but had not done so at press time. Calls and messages to the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also went unanswered.

The PRP’s National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ishaq, said the party was waiting for reports from its state chapters. “Once we receive and thoroughly review the election reports, we will formalise and communicate our official stance accordingly,” he said.

INEC’s assessment

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, who followed the polls from the commission’s National Situation Room in Abuja, said the bye-elections were an important test of preparations for 2027. He said they offered a chance to gauge the commission’s operational readiness and would yield valuable lessons.

According to him, INEC will use the experience to audit its logistics, stress-test its technology and assess administrative readiness in the field. He added that problems arising before election day had been resolved through the commission’s monitoring and crisis-resolution mechanisms, and promised further refinements to the process.