The Federal House of Representatives bye-election in Dawakin Kudu–Warawa Federal Constituency has set an encouraging precedent for the forthcoming 2027 general election due to the massive turnout and peaceful conduct of the exercise, says the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Ambassador Abdu Zango.

Addressing newsmen at a polling station in Warawa Local Government Area, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Abdu Zango, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the election, praising the police and other security agencies for a job well done.

“So far so good, you have seen for yourself, elections have gone on very well, no violence, nothing. The massive turnout, especially in Warawa, is a reflection of the planning and coordination, in terms of security, especially the lead agency, the police. 

“I want to thank the police and other security agencies for meticulous planning. We have not recorded any incidence of violence whatsoever,” he stated.

However, only three political parties contested in the bye-election, namely the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Continuing, he added: “We have had no challenges in terms of technology. The BVAS worked so well. I am not surprised, because three days before the election we had cause to update our BVAS to ensure that they are at their best for optimum performance, and it reflected in the outcome and we are very proud. I want to assure you that INEC will upscale this to ensure that BVAS becomes very efficient in the coming elections.”

He explained that INEC had scaled up its enlightenment campaign, being conscious of the fact that democracy thrives when people come out to exercise their franchise.

The Kano Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, who was present at Warawa Local Government Area, also expressed satisfaction with the level of peace during the exercise.

He hailed the synergy among the security operatives, as well as the leadership and the conscience of the general public.

“The general public have now realised that wielding weapons during elections will not do them any good and they were all peaceful,” he stated.

He promised that the police will not only sustain the tempo but will build on it to ensure better security in future elections.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has won its first polling unit in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti State.

The party won the Ajagbala Hall polling unit in Okeruku Ward 02, Ikere Local Government Area of the state.

In the result sheet sighted by our correspondent, ADC scored 39 votes while the All Progressives Congress, APC, got 29 votes.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, came third in the polling unit with 17 votes. 

The ADC candidate Dare Bejide had raised an alarm, alleging violence against his supporters.

DAILY POST reports that results from different polling units have started coming in.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the Ekiti State election, Dare Bejide, has alleged incidents of vote buying and assault of his driver at his polling unit during Saturday’s governorship poll.

Bejide, who cast his vote at Polling Unit 004, Ward 2, Oke Adura, Ilawe-Ekiti, accused members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, of openly distributing money to voters in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election.

Speaking with journalists shortly after voting, the ADC candidate alleged that several APC leaders, including local government officials, gathered at the polling unit with large sums of money for vote-buying purposes.

He further claimed that his driver sustained injuries during an altercation at the polling unit while trying to shield him from being pushed.

According to Bejide, the injured driver was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment.

The ADC flagbearer said the incident had been reported to the police, but expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the inadequate response of security personnel at the scene.

Bejide condemned the alleged vote-buying activities, describing them as a violation of democratic values and an embarrassment to the electoral process.

In the same vein, the son of the ADC flag bearer, Mr Olumide Bejide, alleged that APC chieftains flooded all polling units in Ilawe with large sums of money, distributing to electorates, saying such acts were against the rules of INEC. He said APC leaders were fond of buying the conscience of the masses.

He said the money they were throwing about during the election was enough to fix all the bad roads in Ekiti. He condemned the act.

Responding to the allegations, APC chieftain Makinde Araoye dismissed the claims and maintained that the election was being conducted peacefully across the state.

Araoye told journalists that the electoral process had been smooth, noting that improvements in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s, INEC, technology had significantly reduced the time required for voter accreditation and balloting.

He expressed confidence that Governor Biodun Oyebanji would secure re-election, arguing that the governor’s performance in office had earned him widespread support among residents.

Addressing allegations that he was involved in a confrontation with Bejide at the polling unit, Araoye denied any wrongdoing, saying he was merely visiting polling units within his ward to monitor the electoral process when a disagreement occurred.

According to him, the dispute arose after Bejide allegedly attempted to prevent him from moving around the polling area.

Araoye insisted that he had every right to observe activities within his ward and acted only in self-defence.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the police nor the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had issued any official statement regarding the allegations raised by the ADC candidate.