APC Dusts PDP, Sweeps 3 Reps seats in Saturday’s By-elections

• Widow wins for PDP in Cross River
  

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The All Progressives Congress (APC) seemingly confirmed its stranglehold on the nation’s political scene as the governing party swept to victory in all the three by-elections for the vacant House of Representatives seats held on Saturday.

With the final release of results for Toro Federal Constituency in Bauchi State on Sunday, it was disappointment for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which complained of electoral malpractices and intimidation by security agencies.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC captured all three seats into the House of Representatives in the keenly contested polls across the three States of Bauchi, Katsina and Kwara.

The electoral umpire confirmed on Sunday that APC’s Alhaji Yusuf Nuhu defeated PDP’s Shehu Umar to win the Toro Federal Constituency by-election in Bauchi State.

The Returning Officer, Prof Ahmed Sarkin-Paggam, who announced the result in Toro, stated that Nuhu polled a total of 27,337 votes to dust his only opponent, Umar that scored 18,235 votes in the contest that had only APC and PDP fielding candidates.

Prof Sarkin-Paggam said of the 41,532 votes cast, 40,552 were valid while 970 votes were invalid at the end of the exercise.

The seat became vacant after the member representing the constituency, Lawan Yahaya Gumau emerged victorious in the Bauchi South Senatorial by-election he contested on August 11, 2018.

In Katsina State, the opposition PDP suffered the same fate as INEC declared APC’s Alhaji Abubakar Kusada winner of the bye-election for Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa Federal constituency on Saturday.

Kusada was the speaker of Katsina State House of Assembly before the Saturday’s poll and Prof Adedayo Hamza, who served as the returning officer, said in Kankiya that Kusada scored 48,518 votes to emerge winner.

Placed a distant second was PDP’s Alhaji Abdussamad Yusuf who scored 20,193 votes, while Nasiru Kankiya of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) got 1,810 votes to place third in the electons.

Similarly, INEC on Saturday night confirmed the emergence of APC candidate, Mr Raheem Olawuyi, as winner of the vacant House of Representatives seat for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero constituency in Kwara state.

All eyes were on this constituency elections being the home state of Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki. But the PDP led by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, described the by-election as a contest between the PDP and security agents, rather than among political parties.

The governor, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr Muhideen Akorede, said available reports indicated that the four local government areas where elections took place witnessed wide-spread harassment, arrests and intimidation of PDP members and supporters by security personnel.

Ahmed, however, commended PDP members and supporters across the federal constituency for standing their ground and defying the threats posed by the security agents by coming out to exercise their franchise at the risk of harm and arrest.

INEC’s Chief Returning Officer, Prof Abimbola Adesoji of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said Olawuyi polled  21,236 votes, with PDP’s candidate, Saheed Alatise amassing 18,095 votes.

He said the Labour Party (LP) candidate got 150 votes, the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) 76 votes and UPN 42 votes. The Returning Officer also stated that of the 40,930 total votes cast, valid votes were 39,599 while 1,331 votes were rejected as invalid.

However, respite came the way of PDP in Cross River State as a widow, Stella Egbung Nkoro, was yesterday declared winner of the Ikom II State constituency by-election.

Mrs Nkoro is replacing her late husband, Simon, was the one representing the constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly before his demise on August 26, 2018.

A statement by INEC national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, said PDP is the only party on the ballot paper as parties agreed that Simon Okoro’s wife should replace her husband since the term in office is almost due. – With agency reports