Last Saturday, by-elections were held in 16 constituencies, across 13 states. Our Correspondents who were on ground to cover the polls, report on how the elections were won and lost.
From Awka, in Anambra State, Obinna Odogwu reports on how Nicholas Ukachukwu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the November poll, failed what could pass for his first ‘litmus test.’
Before last Satruday, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 8 election in Anambra State, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, had been everywhere telling his supporters that the gubernatorial poll was his to win.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
Ukachukwu, a successful businessman described by many people as one of the political godfathers in the state, seized every campaign opportunity to assure and reassure his followers of his readiness to face the governorship election with all he has.
In fact, his confidence level was so high that some people volunteered to work for him, assigning roles to themselves, perhaps, at their own expense.
But he was not alone in the political adventure. Members of his party boasted everywhere, telling everyone who cared to listen that they had federal might; and that every necessary resources needed to win the election would be made available to them.
This belief by the members of the APC that Ukachukwu would win the governorship poll was solidified by his choice of running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife.
Ekwunife, a grassroots politician, added value to Ukachukwu’s candidacy, according to political commentators.
They said that being a two-time member of the House of Representatives and a former senator, Ekwunife knows how to navigate the state’s political waters in favour of the APC at the poll.
When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) incidentally fixed August 16 for by-elections in various parts of the country, many political observers saw it as an opportunity for Ukachukwu to prove his worth.
To many people in Anambra, that poll was to serve as a litmus test for what was to come in November. It was an opportunity to prove himself as a political godfather who knows where the votes are and how to harvest them.
But with the deafening defeat at both the Anambra South Senatorial Zone and Onitsha North 1 State Constituency, it is not very clear at the moment if Ukachukwu would still want to spend further financial and other resources in pursuit of his governorship ambition.
In fact, the defeat of his party at that poll was even made worse by the result of his polling unit which showed that his party lost woefully to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) by a wide margin.
The result of Osumenyi Ward 1 at Obino Village Hall 1 showed that APC got 22 votes while APGA secured 69 votes.That registration area has 566 registered voters but only 100 were accredited to vote. The result also showed that eight ballot papers were rejected.
The billionaire businessman, by failing his first litmus test, seems to have proved Prof. Chukwuma Soludo right when he declared a few months ago that he didn’t have any opponent in the November 8 election.
Soludo, the incumbent governor of the state, is seeking re-election to the office on the platform of the APGA; the party with which he first won the position on November 6, 2021.
The Professor of Economics had told his teaming supporters not to lose sleep over the governorship poll as he had no opponent in the race. He described Ukachukwu and the other 14 candidates of the remaining political parties as political featherweights and attention seekers.
The governor made it clear to APGA members that Ndi Anambra were solidly behind him because of his sterling performance in office so far and would remain so, hopefully.
For the senatorial by-election, Chief Emma Nwachukwu of APGA was declared winner by INEC having secured the highest number of the lawful votes cast.
Results announced on Sunday at the INEC office in Nnewi North Local Government headquarters in Nnewi town showed that Nwachukwu polled a total of 90,408 votes to defeat Chief Azuka Okwuosa of the APC who secured 19,812 votes, and Donald Amamgbo of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who got 2,889 votes.
For the Onitsha North 1 State Constituency, Ifeoma Mimi Azikiwe, a lawyer, was declared winner of the by-election held the same day.
INEC’s Returning Officer for the poll, Prof. Ibiam Ekpe of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, said Azikiwe, the candidate of APGA, polled 7,774 votes to defeat Mrs Justina Azuka of the ADC who scored 1,909 votes. Mr Ezennia Chuka Ojekwe of the APC and Ms Njideka Ndiwe of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) secured 1,371 and 655 votes respectively.
ADC’s candidate, Justina, is the widow of Justice Azuka who was kidnapped on the eve of 2024 Christmas. His body was later discovered in the bush near the Second Niger Bridge on February 6 this year.
As of the time of his abduction, he was a serving lawmaker representing the constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
The senatorial by-election was conducted to fill the vacant seat left by late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. It was keenly contested by candidates of 16 political parties.
Ubah first won the position in 2019 on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and was re-elected in 2023. He, however, later defected to the APC before his death in 2024.
By this electoral success, Nwachukwu has become the first politician from Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state to win a senatorial seat from the LGA.
A former President-General of Ukpor, Nwachukwu also becomes the first APGA member to win a senatorial seat in Anambra South Senatorial District and the second in the state after Chief Victor Umeh of the Anambra Central Senatorial Zone.
Umeh, a former National Chairman of the party, was the first to occupy a senatorial seat under APGA after a rerun in which he defeated Ekwunife in January 2018.
After his inauguration by Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, Nwachukwu will become the first politician from Nnewi South LGA to occupy the senatorial seat.
On the flip side, Azikiwe will join Nkechi Ogbuefi, a member of the Labour Party who represents Anaocha 1 Constituency, as the second female lawmaker in the eighth Assembly upon her inauguration by the Speaker, Somtochukwu Udeze.
Meanwhile, Billy Graham-Abel, reports from Adamawa State, that while APC’s narrow win in Ganye, Adamawa State is official, the credibility of the process remains under scrutiny, with opposition voices and civil society groups expected to weigh in as the fallout unfolds.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has narrowly secured victory in the hotly contested Adamawa House of Assembly by-election for Ganye Constituency, winning by a slim margin of 129 votes amid serious allegations of electoral malpractice.
According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC polled 15,923 votes, edging out the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which garnered 15,794 votes, by a slim margin of 129 votes, to secure a narrow victory in the hotly contested Adamawa House of Assembly by-election for Ganye State Constituency.
Ballot Box Snatching Allegations
The by-election, was however marred by controversy after reports emerged that a senior APC official was caught attempting to snatch a ballot box. The official was identified as Salisu Mustapha, APC National Vice Chairman (North-East). As at press time, Mustapha had not responded to calls and messages seeking his reaction to the allegation.
Also, neither the PDP nor the APC has issued an official statement regarding the claims.
Allegations of Vote Buying
There were accusations from both parties of voter inducement to sway support to their sides.
PDP’s Controversial Grant: For instance, days before the election, the state government disbursed N50,000 PAWECA empowerment grants to residents of Ganye Council. Although the programme has been a regular initiative, the timing and select targeting of Ganye raised suspicion among residents and analysts.
APC’s Fertilizer and Wrapper Distribution: Reports also surfaced that APC allegedly distributed 15 trucks of fertilizers and wrappers to Ganye residents. Critics said the move was suspiciously timed with the rainy season, suggesting a vote-buying scheme.
Hon. Farouk Mohammed, Chairman of Ganye Local Government, alleged that the fertilisers were originally meant for flood victims in Yola-South but were diverted to Ganye for political gains.
“I was allocated 300 bags and I rejected them because I know they were bought by the federal government for flood victims. Sadly, desperation to win this election has robbed flood victims of their relief materials,” Farouk claimed.
He further criticised the APC for prioritising road rehabilitation projects in Ganye ahead of the poll, while neglecting critical federal roads such as Yola–Jalingo, Jalingo–Numan–Gombe, and Yola–Mubi–Maiduguri highways.
The post By-elections: How elections were won, lost in Anambra, Adamawa appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
