- The ruling All Progressive Congress recorded a significant increase to the number of party members in the National Assembly
- The party won two more senatorial seats in Yobe East and Ebonyi South
- The party also has four out of seven House of Representative seats contested for
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has increased its majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives after winning six out of the nine by-elections held on Saturday in various states of the federation.
The by-elections were conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacant seats left by some lawmakers who either resigned, died or were appointed to other positions.
APC sweeps Yobe, Ebonyi senatorial seats
The Daily Trust reported that APC clinched the Yobe East and Ebonyi South Senatorial Districts, which were previously occupied by Ibrahim Geidam and Dave Umahi, who are now ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
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In Yobe, Musa Mustapha, an in-law to Geidam, defeated Aji Kolomi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a wide margin of 68,778 votes to 18,878 votes.
In Ebonyi, Prof. Anthony Ani, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, also secured a landslide victory over his rivals from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the PDP and the Labour Party (LP), the Premium Times reported.
Ani polled 46,270 votes, while his closest challenger, Ifeanyi Eleje of APGA, got only 3,513 votes.
According to INEC, out of the 436,254 registered voters in the five local government areas where the by-election took place, only 56,363 votes were cast, while rejected votes were 695.
APC dominates House of Reps by-elections
The APC also won four of the by-elections into the House of Representatives, while the PDP won three and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) won two.
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The APC’s victories were recorded in Kebbi, Ondo and Lagos states, where they replaced some of their members who had been appointed as ministers or chief of staff by the president.
In Kebbi, Garba Kamba and Garba Umar (Bullet) won the Dandi/Arewa and Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski federal constituencies respectively, beating their PDP opponents by comfortable margins.
In Ondo, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, a son of former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, won the Akoko North East/North West federal constituency, replacing the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
In Lagos, Fuad Laguda won the Surulere federal constituency, replacing the former Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, who is now the Chief of Staff to the President.
The PDP’s victories were recorded in Ekiti, Plateau and Taraba states, where they retained their seats or reclaimed them from the APC.
In Ekiti, Ayo Oladimeji won the Ekiti East/Irepodun/Ifelodun federal constituency, which was vacated by the late Opeyemi Bamidele, who died in a helicopter crash.
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In Plateau, Istifanus Gyang won the Jos North/Bassa federal constituency, which was vacated by the late Haruna Maitala, who died in a car accident.
In Taraba, David Abel won the Kurmi/Gashaka/Sardauna federal constituency, which was vacated by the late Danjuma Shiddi, who died of an undisclosed illness.
The YPP’s victories were recorded in Anambra and Imo states, where they defeated the APC and the PDP candidates.
In Anambra, Chukwuma Umeoji won the Idemili North/South federal constituency, which was vacated by the late Obinna Chidoka, who died of COVID-19 complications.
In Imo, Chukwuma Frank won the Okigwe North federal constituency, which was vacated by the late Miriam Onuoha, who died of cancer.
INEC declares results, commends voters
The INEC declared the results of the by-elections on Sunday, February 4, and commended the voters, security agencies and other stakeholders for their peaceful conduct and cooperation.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the by-elections were largely successful and credible, despite some challenges and disruptions in some areas.
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He said the commission would continue to improve its processes and procedures, and urged the political parties and candidates to accept the outcomes in good faith.
He also congratulated the winners and urged them to serve their constituents with diligence and integrity.
APC Chieftains send message to Oshiomole ahead of Primary
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that prominent members of the APC have conveyed a strong message ahead of the Edo State gubernatorial primary
The message is directed to Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state and former national chairman
Their concerns are over Oshiomhole's Influence and moving support for a particular candidate
Source: Legit.ng
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