The candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People Democratic Party (PDP) won the 15 by-election legislative seats conducted in their stronghold states on Saturday, December 5
Results of the by-elections showed that the APC won in Lagos, Plateau, Imo, Katsina, Bauchi and Kogi states while the PDP won in Bayelsa and Cross River states.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had conducted 15 by-elections for some federal and state legislative seats spread across 11 states to fill vacancies created by the death of former occupants of the legislative seats.
The by-elections involved nine state Houses of Assembly seats and six senatorial seats.
Senatorial by-elections were conducted in Bayelsa Central, Bayelsa West, Cross River North, Imo North, Lagos East and Plateau South senatorial districts.
In addition, INEC held nine state Houses of Assembly by-elections in eight states following the deaths of former members from Bauchi, Enugu, Kogi, Borno, Cross River, Katsina, Zamfara and Lagos States.
Four of the six senatorial by-elections were to fill legislative seats that became vacant due to the death of their former occupants from Cross River North, Imo North, Lagos East and Plateau South.
The remaining two senatorial by-elections were to fill seats for Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West, which became vacant following the emergence of senators Douye Diri and Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, as governor and deputy governor of the state respectively.
In Lagos, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Tokunbo Abiru, won the Lagos East senatorial bye-election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for the bye-election, Prof. Ademola Oremosu, on Sunday announced that Abiru polled a total of 89,204 votes to defeat his closest rival, Babatunde Gbadamosi of the Peoples Democratic Party, who got 11,257 votes to emerge second among candidates from 12 political parties.
Abiru won in all the five local government areas in the senatorial district.
The candidate of the APC in the Kosofe Constituency II of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Obafemi Saheed, also defeated seven other candidates in the state House of Assembly bye-election held on Saturday.
Similarly, in Katsina State, the returning officer for the Bakori Local Government State Constituency bye election, Prof. Aminu Kankia, declared Dr Ibrahim Kurami of the APC winner of the election.
According to him, Kurami scored 20,446 votes to defeat his close rival, Mr. Aminu Magaji of the PDP, who polled 11,356 votes.
Likewise, the candidate of the APC in the Dass constituency bye-election in Bauchi State, Mr. Bala Lukshi, was declared the winner.
The returning officer, Prof. Ahmed Mohammed, said Lukshi, polled a total of 12, 299 votes to defeat Mr. Lawal Wandi, candidate of the PDP, who polled 11, 062 votes.
He said, “The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Bala Lukshi, haven scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared winner and returned elected.”
Also in Plateau State, the candidate of the APC, Prof. Nora Daduut, was declared the winner for Plateau South Senatorial bye-election.
The returning officer, Prof. Idris Amali, said Daduut polled a total of 83, 5104 to defeat nine other candidates including her closest rival and the PDP candidate, George Daika, who got 70, 838 votes.
In addition, INEC on Sunday declared Mr. Egbunu Atule of the APC as the winner of the Ibaji Local Government Constituency bye-election of Kogi State.
The returning officer, Prof Rotimi Ajayi, at Onyadega, headquarters of the local government, said Atule polled 8,515 votes to emerge the winner.
Ajayi also announced that Mr. Daniel Enefola of the PDP came second having scored 4,565 votes.
The candidate of the PDP, Dr Stephen Odey, was declared winner of the Cross River Northern Senatorial District bye-election by the returning officer, Prof Ameh Dennis Akoh.
He scored a total of 129,207 votes to defeat Mr. Joe Agi of the APC, who scored 19,165 votes.
The PDP candidate, Ms Maria Akwaji, also won the Obudu State Constituency seat in the House of Assembly.
Likewise, INEC declared the candidate of the PDP, Mrs. Amaka Ugwueze, winner of the Isi-Uzo State constituency bye-election on Enugu State.
INEC collation officer, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwachukwu, said the PDP candidate polled a total of 11,047 votes to defeat the APC candidate Ejiofor Okwor, who scored 2,293 votes.
Also, in Bayelsa State, the PDP won the bye-elections in Bayelsa Central and West senatorial districts.
In Bayelsa Central, the PDP polled 20,922 votes in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA; 54,390 in Yenagoa LGA and 44, 707 votes in Southern Ijaw LGA, while the APC scored 4,980 votes; 6,155; and 7,812 votes, respectively.
The INEC Returning Officer for Bayelsa Central, Dr Emmanuel Akpan, declared the candidate of the PDP, Mr. Moses Cleopas, winner for the district.
Immediate past governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, clinched the Bayelsa West Senatorial District seat.
The returning officer, Prof. Ekechukwe Okeke, returned Dickson as the senator-elect, having polled 115,257 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Mr. Peremobowei Ebebi of the APC who polled 17,541.
However, there was drama at the state Secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Owerri when the Election Returning Officer, Hakeem Adikum, declared the APC the winner of the Imo North bye-election without returning a candidate.
Adikum, who quickly rose after announcing the results scored by various political parties and their candidates, simple said, “I hereby return the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the bye-election held in Imo North on Saturday, December 5.”
He said the APC scored 36, 811 votes, while Emmanuel Okewulonu of the People Democratic Party came second with 31, 903 votes.
INEC’s failure to return any APC candidate caused disquiet as the supporters of the two persons, Ifeanyi Araraume and Frank Ibezim, laying claims to the APC ticket went home dejected.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State, Prof Francis Ezeonu, told journalists that the electoral umpire was unable to return a particular candidate from the APC because of several court orders for and against Araraume and Ibezim.
Recall that an Abuja federal High court had on Friday barred Ibezim from contesting elections.
On the same day, a court of Appeal in Owerri sacked Araraume as the candidate of the APC and declared Ibezim as the authentic candidate of the party.
In Zamfara State, INEC declared the bye-election in Bakura constituency inconclusive.
Two ad-hoc staff of the commission was similarly declared missing and their whereabouts were still unknown at the time of filing in this report.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the returning officer, Prof. Ibrahim Magawata, said the election results of five polling units in Bakura ward had been cancelled.
The affected units, according to Magawata, have a total number of 11,429 votes.
He however declared that, so far, the PDP candidate, Alhaji Ibrahim Tudu has scored the total number of 18,645 votes, while the APC candidate, Alhaji Bello Gamji, scored 16,464 votes.
With Punch, ThisDay reports
