*Tinubu congratulates winners of by-elections in 12 states, commends INEC

*NNPP rejects APC victory in Kano, heads to court

*Nigeria’s electoral process has deteriorated under Tinubu — ADC

As Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announces results of last Saturdays by-elections in all the 12 states in Nigeria, political parties have continued to maintain dominance in areas where they originally controlled since the 2023 general elections.

In Ogun, Edo and other States where All Progressives Congress held sway, its candidates have won the by-elections and New Nigeria Peoples Party in Kano also won in one constituency, while APC won in the other.

Emmanuel Nwachukwu, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has won Saturday’s by-election in Anambra south senatorial district.

Frank Ojiako, returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday.

Nwachukwu scored 90,408 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Azuka Okwuosa of All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 19,847 votes.

Donald Amangbo of the African Democratic Congress(ADC) polled 2,889 votes to occupy the third position.

“I hereby make the declaration that Emmanuel Nwachukwu of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” Ojiako said.

The Anambra south senatorial district seat was vacant following the death of Ifeanyi Ubah, the former senator representing the district.

Ubah died in London in June 2024 at the age of 52.

He was re-elected to the 10th senate on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in 2023.

He later defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in October 2023.

APGA Maintains Dominance In Anambra

Ifeoma Azikiwe, APGA candidate, was also declared winner of the Onitsha north constituency 1 in the Anambra house of assembly.

Ibiam Ekpe, INEC returning officer for the election, announced that Azikiwe polled 7,774 votes to defeat her closest challenger, Justina Azuka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who pooled 1,909 votes.

The seat was vacant following the death of Justice Azuka, the former lawmaker representing the constituency.

Azuka was kidnapped in December 2024 and his decomposing body was later found in February 2025

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed concern over the conduct of the by-elections held on Saturday across 13 states and 16 constituencies of the federation, saying the exercise once again exposed how far Nigeria’s electoral process has deteriorated under President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement issued on Sunday morning by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party noted that the elections were riddled with widely reported violence, vote buying, manipulation, and other administrative lapses.

The ADC noted that the party did not field candidates for most of the positions contested in the by-election. Therefore, with all its flaws and irregularities, this election should not be seen as a measure of the strength or capacity of the Opposition Coalition, but rather as a sad reflection of how far the system has been corrupted against the will of the people.

The statement read: “What Nigerians witnessed in yesterday’s by-elections is yet another reminder that under the current administration, democracy itself, just like the economy and our national security, continues to decline under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC.

“When elections are marred by widespread violence, when ballots are openly and brazenly exchanged for money, when opposition candidates are excluded without explanation, and when the very institutions entrusted to safeguard democracy become complicit, then the vote of the ordinary Nigerian ceases to have meaning.

“In some states, nearly 300 thugs armed with rifles, knives, and cutlasses were arrested on election day. Is this democracy—or banditry disguised as voting?

“In some states, whole polling units were cancelled due to ballot box snatching and the open intimidation of voters. If citizens cannot go to the polls without fear of assault, then the most basic covenant between the state and its people has already broken down.

“In one state, a vote-buyer was caught with N25.9 million intended to procure and corrupt the will of the people. In another, election officials were themselves implicated in similar inducements. This is no longer isolated malpractice; it is fast becoming the political culture of our electoral process under the APC.

“After so many years, the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some states has once again raised questions about the Commission’s competence, sincerity, and perhaps, complicity. Nigerians deserve elections that command the implicit confidence of every citizen and the respect of the rest of the world. INEC must not be allowed to turn excuses into a code of conduct.

“The bigger picture that we must all remember is that for better or worse, these by-elections represent the clearest indication of a dress rehearsal for 2027. If violence, vote buying, candidate intimidation and exclusion, and collusion between security forces and compromised election officials become the new normal, then Nigerians and the international community must brace themselves.

“The ADC therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise above his partisan interest and, for once, demonstrate genuine leadership by ensuring that Nigerians can cast their votes freely and safely. The President must recognise that no government can claim legitimacy if it consistently presides over elections that citizens and the international community perceive as fraudulent.

“We call on INEC to immediately investigate the brazen and reckless irregularities that have been revealed and reported, sanction all compromised officials, and take the urgent and necessary steps to restore public confidence in our nation’s electoral process. If INEC cannot guarantee the integrity of a by-election, then Nigerians are right to question its institutional capacity and all-around readiness for a general election.

“In a similar regard, the ADC calls on the international community, especially Nigeria’s democratic partners and election observers, not to look away. Silence in the face of such brazen subversion of democratic norms will only embolden those who profit from this chaos. Nigeria is too important to Africa and the world to allow its democracy to collapse under the weight of complicit impunity.

“We urge civil society, the media, faith leaders, and indeed every Nigerian who believes in freedom to resist the slide into electoral banditry. If we do not defend the sanctity of the ballot today, there may be nothing left to defend tomorrow.

“The ADC notes the recent declaration of both the PDP and the APC as terrorist organisations by a Canadian court. This must have come as a great embarrassment to all citizens. But evidence of this by-election makes it difficult to plead their case.”

NNPP rejects APC victory in Kano re-run election, heads to court

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in Kano has rejected the outcome of the Tsanyawa/Ghari State Assembly re-run election, insisting that the poll was rigged.

The party said it will go to court to challenge the declaration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate as the winner.

Announcing the decision, Kano State Chairman of the NNPP, Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, said, “The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State has acknowledged the tremendous achievements recorded by the party in Kano on the re-run and by-elections at Tsanyawa/ Ghari and Shanono/Bagwai state constituencies, respectively.

“While applauding the voters of the respective constituencies, the party wishes to inform the general public that the manipulations orchestrated against the candidate in Tsanyawa/Ghari re-run election cannot be condoned.

“Therefore, the party rejected the election results of Tsanyawa/Ghari, which was declared at the INEC Headquarters in Kano, while cancelling entirely the 10 polling units that the Appeal Court nullified and ordered for a fresh election.”

Dungurawa alleged that voters were denied the right to vote after they came out massively and casted their votes for the NNPP candidate.

“People are aware that in Ghari Local Government Area the election was conducted peacefully in the 10 polling units but some unpatriotic politicians connived with INEC officials and forced the declaration of the APC candidate as the winner.

“In ideal circumstances elections are supposed to be declared at the collation centre within the constituency, but INEC decided to make the declaration at its headquarters in the state capital, which gave room for unpatriotic politicians to connive with INEC and cancel all the polling units in contention and revert back to the old election results that was challenged at the court and the court decided in favour of the NNPP, ordering that re-run election should be conducted and hence ordering INEC to conduct re-run election in the 10 polling units.

“NNPP as a party will continue to fight injustice, favoritism, election manipulation and against anybody who feels he can use the federal might to disenfranchise the good people of Kano State,” he said.

“It is very important to know that all presiding officers at the Tsanyawa/Ghari polling units have already signed their election results at their respective collation centers, and only the presiding officers have the power to cancel elections – not at the INEC Headquarters.

“Furthermore, credible election was held in the Shanono/Bagwai by-election and if not because the Shanono/Bagwai results were declared at collation centers, APC might have attempted to change the narratives.

“Therefore, we appreciate the role of the constituents and other stakeholders, particularly the security agencies who provided enabling environment for very peaceful re-run and by-elections,”
Dungurawa added.

Tinubu hails winners of by-elections in 12 states, commends INEC

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated all the winners of Saturday, August 16, by-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the President commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the hitch-free elections, mostly devoid of violence.

Following the results declared by INEC, the All Progressives Congress, APC, won in 12 constituencies, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, won in two, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won in one, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, won in one.

President Tinubu congratulated the new APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, for the emphatic first victory recorded under his leadership.

He also congratulated the APC governors and other leaders on the success of the by-elections.

“Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda has shown leadership capacity and demonstrated what is achievable when popular candidates are fielded and with unity of purpose among party leaders,” the President remarks.

“To all APC faithful and the electorate, thank you for the confidence reposed in our party. Be assured that our Renewed Hope slogan is not a mere slogan. Our destination is a better, more secure and prosperous Nigeria. We shall take you there, by the Grace of God,” he said.

President Tinubu commended all the political parties and candidates who participated in the election and enjoins them to continue to be guided by the spirit of sportsmanship, fair contest and magnanimity, which are enablers of enduring democracy.