The All Progressives Congress (APC) has tightened its grip on Nigeria's legislature after winning by-elections across four states on Saturday, but the victories have been clouded by a chorus of allegations of violence, ballot-box snatching, thumb-printed papers, and a process that opposition candidates in multiple states are calling anything but free or fair.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the results on Sunday, confirming APC wins in Nasarawa, Enugu, Kano, and Ondo states. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), meanwhile, held firm in Rivers state, where its candidate won by a margin so wide it left little room for doubt, though the losing candidates found reasons to doubt it anyway.
Nasarawa: Maku Calls It a Sham
In the Nasarawa North Senatorial District, APC's Danladi Halilu Envulu-anza won with 45,362 votes, comfortably ahead of Labour Party's (LP) Labaran Maku, who polled 12,931, and the PDP's Emmanuel David Ombugadu, who got 11,570. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidates trailed far behind.
But before the ink on the results sheet had dried, the Labour Party team had already walked out of the collation centre in protest. Their lead agent, Dr. Ben Ango, led the walkout the moment collation for the three local government areas was completed.
Maku was less silent. The former Minister of Information held a press briefing in his country home in Wakama, Nasarawa Eggon, where he described the entire exercise as a sham and demanded its cancellation.
He alleged that ballot papers were pre-thumb-printed, that voting did not take place in most areas, and that wards including Alizaga, Umme, and Alushi in Nasarawa Eggon conducted elections without Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, a direct breach of INEC's established procedure.
The APC State Publicity Secretary, Augustine Ogaba, dismissed the allegations as the predictable complaints of a man whose popularity had faded, pointing out that the combined votes of all opposition candidates did not add up to half of what the APC scored. He advised Maku to go home, study what went wrong, and come back better prepared next time.
Enugu North: A Landslide Soaked in Violence
The numbers in Enugu North were staggering. APC's Asogwa Ikeje Israel won with 162,360 votes out of 184,094 accredited voters, his closest rival, PDP's Dr. Nestor Ezeme, who polled 9,299 votes, appeared to have contested a different election entirely.
Yet the scale of the victory did nothing to obscure what happened on the ground.
Reports emerged from across the six local government areas of ballot-box snatching, technical hitches, coordinated attacks on opposition agents, and a breakdown of order that raised serious questions about how credibly the election was conducted.
The most harrowing incident occurred at Umuodo Village Hall in Ogwu Ward, Obollo-Afor, where a PDP polling agent identified only as Justice was hospitalised after sustaining severe injuries to his head and nose.
Someone had to be carried out of a polling unit on the day Nigerians went to exercise their democratic rights. That is the reality behind the numbers.
Kano: Peaceful and Decisive
Not every contest descended into chaos. In Kano's Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency, the APC's Rabiu Shuaibu polled 35,356 votes against the Allied Peoples Movement (APM)'s 268 and Labour Party's 98, in what INEC described as a peaceful exercise across polling units.
Ondo: A Doctor Wins a Senate Seat
In Ondo South Senatorial District, Prof Francis Faduyile, a former President of the Nigeria Medical Association won for the APC with 68,474 votes. His nearest challenger, Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People's Movement, managed only 1,411 votes. The remaining candidates were barely visible in the results.
Ondo Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, described the outcome as a reflection of the trust the people of Ondo South have placed in a man they believe can represent them effectively at the National Assembly.
He commended INEC and security agencies for what he called a peaceful and credible process.
Rivers State: PDP Holds, but Losers Head to Court
In Rivers South-East, PDP's Olaka Nwogu, an ally of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, retained the senatorial seat with 46,961 votes. His closest rival, the APC's Osarokaka Ebenezer Erewari, polled just 1,647 votes.
But the Action Alliance and Labour Party candidates refused to accept the outcome.
AA's Dr. Douglas Fabeke accused INEC officials and the police of actively aiding rigging, alleging the circulation of fake results sheets, and vowed to file a case in court against INEC, the PDP, and the winning candidate.
He said the Rivers by-election had served as a preview of what to expect in the 2027 general elections, and, in his assessment, the preview was deeply troubling.
He instructed his agents not to sign any documents that could compromise their legal position.
LP candidate, Kinani Sam, went further, claiming to possess video recordings, photographs, and voice notes implicating INEC and local government officials in the manipulation of results.
He demanded the cancellation of the election entirely.
INEC's Rivers State spokesperson, Geraldine Ekelemu, pushed back, describing the commission's conduct as proper and the process as credible.
She acknowledged that aggrieved candidates had every right to seek redress in court, and told them plainly that if they had evidence, they should present it.
PUNCH
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