The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to gain significant ground in the just-concluded rerun and by-elections held across several states on Saturday, leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with unexpected setbacks.
One of the most notable upsets occurred in Jigawa State where the APC lost at polling unit 001 of Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School.
The unit, which is the voting centre of the Minister of Defence and former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, overwhelmingly favoured the PDP.
Despite Abubakar casting his ballot under heavy security presence, the outcome was clear: PDP secured 308 votes, while APC managed only 112.
The minister, who is a top APC chieftain, reportedly departed the venue without making any remarks to journalists.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that the elections on Saturday spanned at least 12 states, covering both rerun and bye-elections.
However, the nationwide exercise was not without challenges, as reports of voter apathy, electoral violence, and incidents of vote buying emerged in several areas.
In Enugu State, the rerun election for the Enugu South Urban State Constituency failed for the fourth consecutive time.
Although INEC deployed officials and materials early in the day, proceedings quickly descended into chaos following heated confrontations between political party operatives.
Protests later erupted, with some women accusing politicians of manipulating the process. They demanded the disqualification of Labour Party (LP) candidate Bright Ngene, citing his criminal conviction.
Ngene had, in July 2024, been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by Magistrate E.D. Onwu of the Enugu South Magistrates’ Court. His conviction stemmed from a 2017 prosecution involving the alleged mismanagement of a ₦15 million community development fund.
As tension intensified, INEC suspended the rerun, explaining that a new date would be announced only after a comprehensive review of the situation. The stalemate has left the constituency in deeper uncertainty.
Meanwhile, in Oyo State, the PDP also recorded victory in the Ibadan North federal constituency by-election.
The returning officer, Abiodun Oluwadare, announced the results in the early hours of Sunday, declaring PDP candidate Folajimi Oyekunle as the winner.
According to Oluwadare, Oyekunle secured 18,404 votes to defeat APC’s Adewale Olatunji, who garnered 8,312 votes.
Other parties performed poorly, with ADC’s Femi Akin-Alamu polling 88 votes, APGA’s Olabisi Olajumoke receiving 40 votes, and ZLP’s Hammed Badmus managing just 18 votes.
With the official declaration, Oyekunle now represents Ibadan North at the House of Representatives, further strengthening the PDP’s political foothold in the South-West.