The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the by-election conducted in the Kaura-Namoda South Constituency of Zamfara State inconclusive.
The declaration was made on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at the Kasuwar Daji Collation Centre by the returning officer, Lawal Sa’adu, who cited legal provisions and voting discrepancies as the reasons for the decision.
According to the official results released by INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 6,999 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 5,339 votes, giving the APC a margin of 1,660 votes.
A detailed breakdown of the six wards in the constituency showed that the APC won in four, while the PDP claimed victory in two.
Ward results were announced as follows:
Kagara Ward: APC 783, PDP 682
Saka Jiki Ward: APC 1,021, PDP 359
Banga Ward: APC 1,163, PDP 1,466
Kyanbarawa Ward: APC 1,162, PDP 660
Kurya Ward: APC 983, PDP 1,580
Dan Isah Ward: APC 1,887, PDP 592
Despite the APC’s lead, INEC ruled that the outcome could not be finalised because of irregularities in five polling units. The affected areas are two units in Saka Jiki Ward and three in Kyanbarawa Ward, where results were cancelled.
The returning officer explained that the total number of registered voters in the affected polling units stood at 5,446, with 3,265 permanent voter cards (PVCs) already collected.
He emphasised that the lead margin between the APC and PDP was 1,662 votes, which is smaller than the number of collected PVCs in the cancelled polling units.
Quoting the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Sections 24(2 & 3), 47(3), and 51(2), Sa’adu clarified that when the margin of lead is less than the number of voters with valid PVCs in cancelled units, a winner cannot be declared until a supplementary election is conducted.
“Accordingly, the election is declared inconclusive pending supplementary polls in the affected units,” he stated.
He explained that Saka Jiki Ward accounts for 1,357 registered voters with 1,298 PVCs collected, while Kyanbarawa Ward has 4,088 registered voters with 1,964 PVCs collected.
Sa’adu stressed that INEC would announce a new date for the rerun in the five affected polling units to determine the final outcome of the by-election.