The All-Progressives Congress (APC) secured four of the five legislative seats contested in Saturday’s bye-elections across Delta, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe states, while the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) won the remaining seat in Bauchi.
The results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed the APC recording victories in constituencies across three geopolitical zones, including the North-West, North-East and South-South.
The outcome has already attracted political attention ahead of the 2027 general elections, with APC leaders pointing to the party’s performance across different regions of the country.
In Delta State, APC candidate Ator Okolosi emerged victorious in the Udu State Constituency bye-election.
According to the result announced by INEC, Okolosi polled 8,724 votes to defeat his closest challenger, George Orugbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 212 votes.
Omovie Esther of the APM recorded 33 votes.
The result gives the APC control of the Udu State Constituency seat following the bye-election.
The APC also secured victory in the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa State Constituency bye-election in Kano State.
The party’s candidate, Hussaini Yusuf Datti, polled 22,890 votes to emerge winner.
The PDP recorded 180 votes, while the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) scored 270 votes.
The Action Peoples Party (APP) obtained 53 votes, while the Labour Party (LP) polled 39 votes.
In Gombe State, APC candidate Usman Maijama’a Kallamu won the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency bye-election.
Kallamu secured 41,121 votes to defeat candidates of the other political parties that participated in the contest.
The election was organised to fill the vacant House of Representatives seat following the death of the former representative of the constituency, Yaya Bauchi Tongo.
INEC reported that 47,301 votes were cast during the election. Of that figure, 46,551 votes were declared valid, while 750 votes were rejected.
The two State Assembly seats contested in Bauchi State produced victories for both the APC and APM.
In the Disina State Constituency of Shira Local Government Area, APC candidate Yakubu Ali won with 5,846 votes.
His APM challenger scored 5,225 votes.
However, the APM secured victory in the Sakwa State Constituency of Zaki Local Government Area, where its candidate Adamu Yakubu polled 8,515 votes to defeat the APC candidate, who recorded 3,771 votes.
The two seats became vacant for different reasons.
The Sakwa seat was declared vacant following the death of former lawmaker Mohammad Wanzam Zaki, while the Disina seat became vacant after the incumbent resigned to contest a local government chairmanship election.
Following the announcement of the results, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda congratulated the party’s four successful candidates.
The party chairman identified the winners as Usman Maijama’a Kallamu of Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency, Gombe State; Hussaini Datti of Dawakin Kudu/Warawa State Constituency, Kano State; Ator Okolosi of Udu State Constituency, Delta State; and Yakubu Ali of Disina State Constituency, Bauchi State.
Yilwatda also commended INEC, security agencies and other stakeholders involved in the conduct of the elections.
He described the victories as an indication of the confidence placed in the APC and its candidates by voters, while urging the successful candidates to regard their victories as a responsibility to serve their constituents.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo also commented on the outcome, drawing attention to the geographical spread of the APC victories.
Keyamo noted that the party won seats in Kano in the North-West, Bauchi and Gombe in the North-East, and Delta in the South-South.
He argued that the distribution of the APC’s victories across different regions was politically significant ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to the minister, the APC’s four victories came in three geopolitical regions, while the party lost the Sakwa State Constituency seat in Bauchi to the APM.
Keyamo further referenced the constitutional requirement for a presidential candidate to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s states, arguing that the bye-election results demonstrated the importance of maintaining political support across different parts of the country.
The bye-election results are expected to remain part of the political discussion as parties begin positioning themselves more actively ahead of the 2027 general elections.
