How APC won Katsina, Bauchi by-elections
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has won Katsina North and Bauchi South senatorial districts byelections in Kastina and Bauch States.
The Independent National Electorate Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the APC, Alhaji Ahmad Babba Kaita, winner of Katsina North, having defeated his elder brother, and the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Kabir Ahmad Babba Kaita, with 224, 607 votes against 59, 724.
Prof. Ayuba Abdullahi, the returning officer, who announced the result at INEC’s zonal office in Daura, said INEC had a total of 864,046 registered voters and accredited 308, 500 voters.
Prof. Abdullahi said the commission recorded 298,058 votes cast, 287,159 valid votes and 10,891 rejected votes. The by-election followed the death of Sen. Mustapha Bukar.
Similarly, the APC candidate in the Bauchi South senatorial district by-election, Lawan Yahaya Gumau, defeated the candidate of the PDP and others.
Gumau polled 119,487 votes against PDP’s Ladan Salihu who got 50,256 votes.
The APC won with clear majority in six out of the seven local government areas. The party won in Bauchi, Alkaleri, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa, Dass and Toro.
The PDP, however, won in Bogoro, one of the three local government areas being represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
The remaining government areas two local in Dogara’s constituency are Dass and Tafawa Balewa.
According to the Returning Officer, Prof. Ahmed Sarki Fagam, out of 877,160 voters in the seven local government areas, 271,703 voters were accredited.
He said a total of 256,763 votes were cast with 245,652 valid votes, while 11,111 votes were voided.
Declaring the winner, Prof. Ahmed Sani Fagam said the APC candidate, Gumau, having received the highest votes won the by-election held on August 11, 2018.
The election was conducted to fill the vacant seat left by the late Sen. Ali Wakili who died in March.
Some results from the polling units across the seven local government areas were cancelled largely due to violence, double voting and other electoral offences.