Early results show the All Progressives Congress leading in the two senatorial bye elections held Katsina, Bauchi and Kogi states on Saturday, despite the mass defection recorded in recent months.
In Bauchi South, the APC candidate is Lawal Yahaya Gumau. From reports, he appeared to have defeated the PDP candidate, and Isa Yuguda, former governor and the candidate of GNP, with a landslide. Other candidates are: Haruna Ayuba(ADC); Aminu Tukur (APP) and Others are Usman Hassan (Kowa Party); Barrister Husseini Umar (NNPP); Usman Chaledi (PDC); Ladan Salihu (PDP) and Maryam Garba Bargel (SDP). Gumau, the winner, was a two-time member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly and current member of the House of Representatives.
In Katsina North election, Ahmad Babba Kaita of the APC, who is a member of the House of Representatives, defeated Kabir Babba Kaita of the PDP, also by landslide, according to reports yet to be verified officially by INEC. The APC has also claimed victory in the Lokoja/Lokoja/Kogi/Koton Karfe Federal Constituency. Representing the APC in the election to the House of Representatives is Alhaji Haruna Isah.
In the aftermath of the mass defections that hit both the ruling APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the two leading political parties in the country were poised to test their might and popularity in yesterday’s senatorial and House of Representatives by-elections in the three states.
Stakeholders from both camps had said the two parties consider the polls crucial because it would determine how Nigerians view them after the gales of defection in both the APC and PDP, as well as determine which party is the majority in the National Assembly.
In Katsina State, early results from some local government areas in the Katsina North Senatorial Bye-election showed that the APC was inching closer to victory yesterday.
In a swift reaction to the much-anticipated result, the state chairman of the PDP, Saiisu Yusuf Majigiri, protested over alleged voting buying before and during the by-election, saying the development was a bad pointer to the 2019 general election.
The state commissioner for resource development, who contested the primary of the APC, Mustapha Kanti Bello, however said, “They (PDP) are preparing their minds for the imminent loss at the poll because of the achievements of the late APC Senator, Mustapha Bukar, who represented the constituency until his death.
Findings revealed that the election recorded an impressive turn out in the 12 local government areas of Daura senatorial zone, particularly in Daura Emirate where President Muhammadu Buhari comes from.
Major stakeholders in both political parties generally described the by-election as peaceful and hitch-free.
They lauded the delivery of the electoral materials in the early hours of yesterday and timely commencement of the accreditation and voting simultaneously in virtually polling units.
“INEC did its best by bringing the materials on time to various destinations and the people have come out en masse and they are voting for us (APC). My impression is that we will win the election with wide margin because the voters are ours and they are voting for our party. God willing we will win”, Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya Kusada, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, told journalists.
On his part, governorship candidate of the PDP in 2015, Engr Musa Nashuni, who witnessed the accreditation and voting in his polling unit at Kankia local government headquarters, said nothing untoward had been observed in the area, adding that they would remain vigilant.
He however gave the impression that the PDP would win the bye-election.
In Bauchi, the APC was also in early lead in the South Senatorial district by-election in the state.
But the PDP and other opposition parties cried foul, saying the poll were marred by low turn out of voters who were nonchalant attitude about the voting process.
The Bauchi South Senatorial bye-election was equally marked by network failure, which delayed accreditation of voters, while late arrival of voting materials also contributed to the late voting.
The three major political parties that participated in the Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency election on Saturday have called for a total cancellation of the process.
The parties include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in a joint statement said the bye election as was conducted was a rape on democracy. The party lamented that with the level of irregularities and violence that characterised the poll, the result had been predetermined.
The statement, which was signed by the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Bode Ogunmola and his counterpart from the ADC, Ade Ismail, said the developments in the state on Saturday had shown that democracy was dead in the country.
The parties said, “Today is a black day in Kogi state as we witnessed a broad daylight rape of democracy, human right and the rule of law through wanton destruction of electoral materials, snatching of ballot boxes, obvious physical assault on innocent electorates as well as destruction of public and private properties of perceived enemies of the APC led government”.
The parties regretted that many of the atrocities were committed under the watchful eyes of the security agents, saying that the election should not stand.
In Kogi, the by-election to fill the vacant seat in Lokoja-Kogi federal constituency, which started on a peaceful note was alleged to be marred by violence, vote buying and intimidation in Lokoja.
Political thugs were said to be going from one polling unit to another to perpetrate fraud despite the presence of Policemen and other security agents at the polling stations.
At the polling unit at Paparanda Square, voting could not hold as thugs allegedly invaded the venue, snatching election materials and beating up people queuing to vote.
The same scenario played out at polling units at Mary Primary School, Karaworo, Adnakolo and Crowther Secondary School, where thugs also disrupted voting.
At Adankolo, some thugs threw stones on people queuing to cast their votes at one of the polling units, chasing them away.
Some of voters who came in their vehicles had their windscreens smashed.
At St. Peter’s Primary School, Felele, voters were seen receiving N2, 000 each after being certified to have voted for particular candidates.
Some Kogi Government officials could be seen moving from one polling unit to another in convoys, accompanied by heavily armed policemen and other security operatives.
The Federal Commissioner of INEC in charge of Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa States, Alhaji Mohammed Haruna, however, said that the election would be cancelled where discrepancies and violence were recorded.
“INEC will review every case of violence, ballot snatching, voter intimidation and vote buying and take appropriate action,’’ he said.
Haruna stated that the rules guiding conduct of elections in Nigeria were clear, noting that election would be voided at any polling unit where rules had been violated.
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