The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) will be the only parties contesting the Zuru Constituency bye-election for the Kebbi State House of Assembly.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the election for June 20, 2026.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abubakar Dambo, said “only the APC and LP met the deadline for submitting candidates after conducting their primary elections.”

According to him, INEC had set May 22 to 26 for political parties to nominate candidates in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

He noted that all other parties failed to meet the requirements before the deadline expired.

Dambo also confirmed that INEC would use the existing voters’ register for the election.

He appealed to voters and political parties to cooperate with the electoral body to ensure a peaceful exercise.

The Zuru Constituency seat became vacant on April 6, 2026, following the death of the Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Usman Muhammad Zuru.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, House of Representatives aspirant for Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, Obunike Ohaegbu, aka Nwa Miss, has denied claims that connect him to assertions regarding Peter Obi defrauding aspirants during the party’s primary elections.

Nollywood actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, had during an interview on Channels Television accused the presidential candidate of the NDC and other party leaders in the South-East of having accepted bribes during the recent primary elections.

Okonkwo, who is a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, asserted that Ohaegbu sent him an “SOS message” revealing the purported fraud that surrounded the primaries’ results.

Okonkwo stated that anyone voting for Peter Obi and the NDC in 2027 is “voting for criminality”, saying, “Ohaegbu sent an SOS to me and said that Peter Obi is now the head of the criminality. That they were scammed in NDC.”

Reacting to Okonkwo’s claims on Channels Television, Ohaegbu said he never told Okonkwo that he met Peter Obi all through the primary election process and never had any monetary discussion with the former governor of Anambra State.

“First of all, was there any communication between me and Mr Kenneth Okonkwo? The answer is in the affirmative.

“I have over 2000 people that I send everything I write, including Kenneth Okonkwo, and also including His Excellency, Peter Obi.

“The message that triggered this was I sent a broadcast to NDC members, which Peter Obi also received. I said that they should disregard any rumor that suggests that any NDC members has been given automatic ticket, because that is not what the party told us.

“And the member representing Peter Obi’s federal consistency was asked not to run, because it will not be fair if he runs. It will not be fair to other local governments, and that happened in so many other local governments, so it would be wrong to say that the person representing us, who has never been to my community and not even been to my home since the election, will have automatic ticket.

“And when especially it makes it worse when it’s being rumored that the senatorial candidate will come from his local government.

“So it was after the broadcast I sent, that he [Okonkwo] called me. Before I came here, I went for morning mass because I’m a Catholic. As I speak to you, the Holy Communion is still running in my vein. If I had ever said either through text or if Kenneth can show anywhere in that message, I said I met with Peter Obi throughout this process. I will apologise.”

He said it was the national secretary of the party he had discussions with concerning payment of nomination forms, and who, according to him, also promised him an automatic ticket.

“As a matter of fact, the national secretary told me that all my discussions with him, that he did that in his capacity as the national secretary and he told me if I have problems, I should go back to the party, which I have actually done this morning. My lawyers will be filing papers against the party.

“But what I’m addressing now is what Okonkwo said that Peter Obi told us to go and pay N10 million, that he needed the money for his campaign. The N10 million I paid was paid to the account of the NDC, in Fidelity Bank. I never said I paid bribe.

“So he said I told him that the party’s National Caucus told us to pay N10 million. I never said that, and it’s not in the message. And I will want this conversation to limit to what he said, what I said.

“I’m telling you, Peter Obi never told me to pay N10 million, I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi in any way told me to pay N10 million. The only person who asked me to pay N10 million is the national secretary,” the aspirant added.

He also denied saying that Peter Obi and others were writing results of the primary election at John Wood Hotel Abuja while the the election was going on.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has directed all political office holders serving in his administration who have declared allegiance to, or defected to, other political parties, to immediately resign their appointments.

A public notice to this effect on Wednesday said the directive is intended to preserve government loyalty and the integrity of public service.

“Continued service by persons who have aligned with another party poses a clear risk of sabotage, information leakage, and obstruction of policy implementation and party strategy,” the governor said.

The governor asked affected appointees to submit their letters of resignation to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government within 48 hours.

The governor stated in the notice shared with journalists by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, that failure to comply with the directive within the stipulated timeframe would result in immediate termination of appointment and cessation of all salaries and terminal benefits.