The All Progressives Congress, APC, has emerged victorious in majority of the bye-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, across 12 states at the weekend.
According to official results, APC secured 12 out of the 16 seats contested, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, won two, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, clinched one, and the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, took one.
The ruling party swept all the bye-elections in Ogun, Edo, Niger, Kaduna, Taraba, Jigawa, Adamawa and Kogi States. In Kano, APC and NNPP shared the two seats available, while APGA made inroads in Anambra, and the People Democratic party, PDP, secured victory in Oyo State.
President Bola Tinubu congratulated the winners across party lines, commending INEC and security agencies for the largely peaceful exercise.
He described the outcome as a sign of growing confidence in his administration.
But the opposition disagreed with this narrative, just as PDP, Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, and the Coalition of United Political Parties alleged widespread irregularities, including vote-buying and intimidation of voters.
They warned that repeating such practices in the 2027 general elections could endanger Nigeria’s democracy.
While APC described the outcome as an endorsement of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the PDP dismissed the polls as a repeat of what it called the “sham” of 2023.
Similarly, LP labelled the exercise a “mockery of democracy,” while ADC and CUPP cautioned against what they termed a dangerous rehearsal for 2027.
INEC has declared all winners and urged candidates dissatisfied with the process to seek redress through lawful channels.