In reality, only 1.09 per cent of the 1,467 national and state legislatives seats will be at stake in today?s by-elections in parts of the country.

But the political parties and their key actors are looking beyond the figures.

From the newly installed National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Prof. Nentawe G. Yilwatda to House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abass, Governors Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Charles Soludo (Anambra), Seyi Makinde (Oyo),Uba Sani (Kaduna),Dapo Abiodun (Ogun),ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, national leader of the New Nigeria People?s Party Rabiu Kwankwaso, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and Labour Party?s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, this is one contest that can enhance or ruin relevance ahead of 2027.

It is a litmus test for the governors of Edo, Anambra, Oyo, Ogun and Kaduna governors, where high-profile battles will be fought, and for Yilwatda who is leading the APC troops in his first major task as national chairman.

Observers believe that a strong showing by the APC will further strengthen President Bola Tinubu?s foothold on the political landscape, while victory for crisis-ridden PDP could re-energise the party with more optimistic projections. And for smaller parties like ADC and LP, winning even one seat would be a morale booster.

At stake are two senatorial seats, one each in Edo and Anambra; five House of Representatives seats and nine state assembly seats.

The by-elections are scheduled for Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Taraba and Zamfara States.

In Adamawa, five candidates are vying for the House of Assembly in Ganye. In Anambra, 12 candidates are slugging it out for the Anambra South Senatorial District seat, which became vacant with the death of Ifeanyi Ubah a year ago, while five candidates are running for the Onitsha North 1 state House of Assembly seat.

In Edo State, eight contestants seek to occupy the Edo Central Senatorial District seat vacated by Governor Okpebholo, while eight others are vying for the Ovia North East/Ovia South West House of Representatives position.

Jigawa State has 11 contenders for the Babura/Garki House of Representatives seat, Kaduna has nine gunning for a similar position in Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency while Zaria/Kewaye state constituency has six contestants.

APC, PDP and ADC candidates are contesting the Kaduna State House of Assembly seat in Basawa.

In Kano, the Shanono/Bagwa state assembly seat will be contested by 10 candidates, while in Kogi State, five political parties are fielding candidates for the House of Assembly seat in Okura and five are also contesting a similar seat in Munya, Niger State.

In Ogun State, eight contestants are slugging it out for the House of Representatives seat in Ikenne/ Sagamu/ Remo North federal constituency while in neighbouring Oyo State the battle to represent Ibadan North Federal Constituency will be fought by the APC, PDP, ADC, APGA and ZLP.

In Taraba, the three political parties are fighting to take the House of Representatives seat in Karim Lamido Federal Constituency while 14 political parties are jostling to represent Kaura Namoda South in the Zamfara State House of Assembly.

Additional polls that were not listed on INEC website are the two court-ordered re-runs which INEC?s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun said would take place in Enugu South I (Enugu) and Ghari/Tsanyawa (Kano) after previous attempts were disrupted by violence. INEC?s initial plans for by-elections in Rivers? Khana II and Zamfara?s Talata Mafara South constituencies remain suspended owing to security and legal issues.

The APC National Chairman visited Ogun and Edo states on Thursday and met with Governors Abiodun and Okpebholo to ?tighten our preparedness and strengthen our winning strategies.?

Yilwatda, in a post on his X handle @nentawe1, said: ?The energy and determination I saw among our leaders and members on the ground filled me with renewed confidence that the APC is ready to deliver decisive victories.

?Our mission as a party is about service, unity and the shared dream of a greater Nigeria.

?In this defining moment, I call on all APC members and supporters to stand as one, work tirelessly and keep faith in our collective strength.

?Victory is not just possible; it is certain when we march forward together with purpose and conviction. Our unity will deliver our victory.?

The APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, said the party committed the same energy accorded the general elections to the by-elections.

?We are prepared for the by-elections in all the 16 constituencies. The same commitment we give to the general elections is what we are giving to off-season elections. August 16 election is no exception,? he told The Nation.

?With the level of our preparation, we are optimistic of victory. We are optimistic that we shall be victorious in almost all the constituencies come Saturday, August 16.?

Kaduna: El-Rufai, PDP take on Uba Sani

Historically, Kaduna State has always been the epicentre of power politics in the country, and the active involvement of Governor Sani, his predecessor El-Rufai and HoR Speaker Abass in the campaigns for their candidates in Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency, Zaria/Kewaye state constituency as well as Basawa state constituency is already causing anxiety across the state.

Former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been working round the clock to ensure victory for the ADC-led opposition coalition candidate for House of Representatives in Chikun Local Government Area, Mr. Alex Adamu, taking the campaign to Kujama, Rido and Nassarawa wards, and for ADC candidates in Zaria/Kewaye and Sabon Gari.

Since breaking ranks with the APC, he has been in the vanguard of the opposition to the ruling party and is determined to prove that he is still a force to reckon with in the state.

But some ADC members led by the state chairman, Ahmad Tijjani Mustapha, are resisting the former governor and his supporters who they accused of seeking to hijack the party from the ?original? members.

Mustapha declared in a statement on Thursday night that the ADC was not in any alliance with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the purpose of the election.

He said the ADC would contest the elections independently and had not formed any formal or informal coalition with other political parties.

He emphasised that no agreement?written or verbal?exists between the ADC and the SDP regarding the upcoming polls.

?The ADC in Kaduna State is not in any coalition or alliance. We remain focused on our campaign and encourage our supporters to vote for ADC candidates,? Mustapha said.

Governor Sani, who has won to his side many frontline politicians in the state since he assumed office, is also determined to prove his worth as a formidable force.

Observers say recent defection of political heavyweights in all parts of Southern Kaduna into APC can make all the difference for the ruling party.

The generality of the people of Southern Kaduna appear to be comfortable with the Sani administration, with many of them saying the governor has addressed their complaints of marginalization.

His campaign focused on the relative peace in a state that had practically being taken over by bandits prior to his swearing in as governor.

Speaker Abass, an indigene of the state, joined in the campaign for the APC, mobilising the people for the election.

Abass on Thursday led the grand finale of the APC campaign for the Zaria Kewaye State Constituency.

It was a five-hour rally rounded off with a drive through the streets of Zaria Kewaye, including Tudun Wada, Tukur-Tukur, Kufena, Dutsen Abba and Filin Idin Katsinawa.

?With the mammoth crowd that attended the grand finale of the campaign rally, I am convinced that victory shall be ours come Saturday,? he said on his X handle Hon Abbas Tajudeen, PhD. @SpeakerAbbas

Sani, a former civil rights activist, grew up at great distance from ethnic and religious discrimination that plagued some of his predecessors.

Edo: APC, PDP in supremacy battle

The Edo Central Senatorial District seat was vacated by Governor Okpebholo (APC) who has been pulling all the strings to ensure that the seat remains in his party.

Fresh from what political foes tried to define as a controversial victory in the 2024 governorship election, Governor Okpebholo faces his first electoral test as APC leader in that contest and that of the Ovia North East/Ovia South West Federal Constituency.

Despite PDP?s keen preparations and its use of the incumbency factor during the Edo State governorship elections, Okpebholo roundly defeated PDP at the polls and in the courts.

The PDP wants victory in the elections badly if only to prove claims by its leaders that it was robbed of the governorship last year.

Candidates for the election in Edo Central are Hon Joseph Ikpea (APC) Prince Joe Okojie (PDP) and Hon Sergius Ogun (ADC).

The candidates for Ovia Federal Constituency in Edo South are Barrister Omosede Igbinedion (APC) Aikpitanyi Johnny (PDP) and Dr. Osayuki Asemota (ADC).

Other political parties in the race are the Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The APC seems to have the edge in Ovia Federal Constituency owing to the coming together of two former rivals ? Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa and Barrister Igbinedion. Idahosa edged out Barrister Igbinedion from the House of Representatives in 2019 and defeated her again in 2023.

Idahosa hails from Ovia South West while Igbinedion hails from Ovia North East. The Igbinedions are a strong political family. Their patriarch, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin, is responsible for many developmental projects in both local government areas.

Edo Central used to be the stronghold of the PDP until Governor Monday Okpebholo broke the jinx in 2023 to become the first elected APC Senator from the district. Okpebholo personally led the APC campaign in Edo Central.

The PDP had also campaigned effectively across the five local government areas. Candidate of the PDP, Prince Joe Okojie, hails from Uromi, the community with the highest number of voters in Edo Central.

The defection of PDP leaders ahead of the by-election may affect the chances of the party in today?s election.

Meanwhile, Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Tony Aziegbemi, has raised the alarm over alleged plot by the APC to subvert the will of the people.

He said credible intelligence showed a multi pronged plan involving inducement of voters with cash, smuggling of prewritten result sheets into collation centres and the use of the Nigerian Police Force to unlawfully deny duly accredited PDP agents access to collation centres.

Aziegbemi said the party uncovered plans to unleash armed thugs to violently disrupt voting in PDP strongholds.

?This brazen move is aimed at producing a violent and manipulated outcome that bears no resemblance to the true will of the people. Democracy is about the will of the people freely expressed at the ballot box, not the will of desperate politicians imposed at gunpoint,? he said in a statement.

Anambra: Soludo?s APGA,APC,Obi?s candidate slug it out

How much influence does Peter Obi still wield in his home state of Anambra ahead of 2027? The answer will emerge today when his candidate, Donald Amamgbo of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) faces APC?s Azuka Okwuosa and APGA?s Emmanuel Nwachukwu in the Anambra South Senatorial by-election.

The late Ifeanyi Uba won the seat in 2023 on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) but defected to the APC.

Governor Soludo, who has an axe to grind with Obi, is doing all he can to get it for Nwachukwu while the APC is leveraging on Uba?s political machinery.

The Labour Party (LP) on whose platform Obi contested the 2023 election as presidential candidate is raging that he forsook the party to campaign for ADC candidates this time around.

Factional chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, branded Obi delusional and mischievous for asking voters to go for ADC candidates when Labour Party candidates are on the ballot.

?It is unfortunate that Obi has turned himself into an irony and a paradox in the Nigerian political space,? Abure said.

?He is now reputed to have elevated subterfuge in the game of politics and has of late been crying wolf where there is none.

?He has turned himself into an ?Uber? politician, not willing to take a position and stand by his decision.

?He has now booked a place for himself in the Guinness Book of Records as a person affiliated with many political parties at the same time, all in his desperation to preside over Nigeria.

Obi has been flirting with ADC. He said his decision to campaign for ADC candidates was because the LP has no candidates recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) amid an internal crisis.

Police Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun has deployed Assistant Inspector General of Police, Godwin Eze, as the Supervisory Officer to Anambra for the two by-elections in the state.

While addressing the Officers at state Police headquarters on Thursday, he made it clear that only the police and other recognised government security outfits will take part in the elections.

The implication is that the security outfits set up by the Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, namely, Agunechemba and Operation Udo Ga Achi, will not be allowed to operate while the elections are on.

He said:?Consequently, all vigilante operatives, hunters and other quasi-security outfits are strictly prohibited from any form of engagement during the exercise.

?Furthermore, to ensure a safe and hitch-free election, there shall be restrictions on vehicular movement from 6am to 6pm in the affected areas throughout the election period.

?The areas include Nnewi North and South, Orumba North and South, Ekwusigo, Aguata and Ihiala local government areas respectively, for the Anambra South Senatorial District.

?Others are Onitsha North Constituency 1 as well as Awka South Local Government Area where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters is located.?

Abiodun, Adebutu rekindle rivalry in Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North

The stakes are no less high in Ikenne/Federal Constituency of Ogun State where the state governor Dapo Abiodun and the PDP governorship candidate in 2023, Ladi Adebutu, are back in the trenches to test their popularity ahead of 2027.

Both Abiodun and Adebutu are from Remo.

The governor is rooting for APC?s Princess Sola Elegbeji while Adebutu is all for PDP?s Bolarinwa Oluwole. The seat was won in 2023 by APC?s Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga a.k.a. Ijaya.

Onanuga died last year.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has also thrown his weight behind Elegbeji, describing her as ?the right choice at the right time.?

Adeola, who represents Ogun West, said Elegbeji is ?an apostle of the progressive doctrines of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo,? and ?a true scion of Remo Federal Constituency whose political philosophy is rooted in service, equity, and enlightenment.

?Princess Sola Elegbeji is not just a candidate?she is a continuation of a legacy,? Adeola said.

?She has subscribed fully to the tenets of the Renewed Hope Agenda as championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun. Her emergence is a convergence of history, competence, and vision,? he added.

The APC regards the election a must win as it wants to prove that it is firmly in charge in the state. The governor, Dapo Abiodun, and top members of the state chapter of the APC are leaving nothing to chance.

On its part, the PDP wants to win the contest to prove that it is a formidable force in the state.

Oyo: Can APC topple Makinde?s PDP in Ibadan?

Governor Makinde has a lot to prove in the Ibadan North state constituency by-election today.

For a man regarded as one of the current backbones of the PDP believed by some to be nursing presidential ambition in 2027, there would be no better opportunity than now to show his strength.

And he needs a decisive win to make his point.

Power Minister Bayo Adelabu, who has his eyes on the 2027 governorship ticket of the APC, is also being looked upon by party members to demonstrate his relevance in his home town.

Barau woos voters in Kano

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin led APC stakeholders to Shanono to woo voters ahead of the Shanono and Bagwai state constituency by-election.

The by-election is to fill the vacancy created by the demise of Halilu Kundila, a member of the APC.

Barau appealed to the people to vote for Ahmed Kademu, the APC candidate, in appreciation of the Tinubu administration?s reforms.

House of Representatives member Kabiru Abubakar from Bichi Constituency urged the people to support the APC candidate for a brighter future.

He highlighted the party?s commitment to developing the constituency, including a pledge to construct N10 billion worth of rural roads.

Kano State is controlled by the NNPP and is the home state of its leader Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Barau is determined to prove his relevance by delivering the election for the APC.

In Taraba, it is Kanda versus Shittu

For the Karim Lamido Constituency, Taraba State, the contest is between Ali Kanda (PDP) and Abner Shittu (APC). Both of them are greenhorns.

The constituency has been assailed by insecurity in the last three months. Thousands of lives have been lost and property destroyed by armed militias.

Ahead of the by-election, APC set up a 55-man campaign council.

It is headed by Senator Abdulazeez Yari, with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as vice chairman.

But the PDP, which controls the state, said it is not perturbed.

Dogari, Bawa, Adabyinlo poised for showdown in Niger

Gaje Dogari (APC), Joshua Bawa (ADC) and Sunday Sabo Adabyinlo (PDP) are poised for a showdown in Munya state constituency of Niger State.

APC Publicity Secretary Hon. Labaran said the party would win because the Governor Bago administration has not disappointed the state.

The ADC Chairman, Mohammed Yahaya, however disagreed, saying that his party would win.

SDP to participate in by-elections, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced a last-minute inclusion of the Social Democratic Party in the list of parties participating in the by-elections.

Spokesman for the commission, Sam Olumekun, said this followed the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordering the commission to accept the list of candidates presented by the party.

The Commission said it did not include the party at the initial stage because SDP did not notify it of the conduct of party primaries and therefore did not monitor same as required by law.

The statement reads: ?The Commission has been served with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025.

?In the judgment, the Commission was ordered to include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidates in the by-elections in 12 states of the federation. The party did not earlier submit a valid notice for the conduct of primaries for the by-elections. For this reason, they were not monitored by the Commission.

?However, in compliance with the judgment, the names of the candidates submitted manually have been accepted and published on our website. The party will participate in the by-elections.

?The Commission wishes to assure the public, especially voters in the 12 states, that the 11th-hour judgment will not affect the election which will proceed tomorrow Saturday, 16th August, 2025 as scheduled.

?Meanwhile, the Commission will exercise its legitimate right of appeal under the law.?

Materials for the election were being moved to the various local government areas yesterday as the commission intensified its preparation for the polls.

The Commission has accredited 60 local and four foreign election observers including the European Union delegation whose names have been published by the commission to monitor the election.

INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians on Thursday that the commission was fully prepared for the by-election, with personnel and sensitive materials being deployed.

In his speech during INEC?s last consultative meeting with political parties, Prof. Yakubu stated that deaths, resignations and other factors necessitated the declaration of vacancies and the need for by-elections.

In a statement on Thursday, INEC?s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, gave assurances of INEC?s preparations for smooth conduct of today?s polls, noting that 3,553,659 registered voters are eligible to participate across 32 local government areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units.

Altogether, 30,451 officials have been deployed nationwide, even as INEC prepares to resume nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on Monday, August 18, with online pre-registration, followed by physical registration from August 25 at 811 INEC state and local government offices.

Police restrict movement in affected states

The Police authorities ordered restrictions on all forms of vehicular movement on roads, waterways, and other forms of transportation from 12 am to 6 pm today within localities where the by-elections are taking place.

The only people exempted are those on essential services including INEC Officials, accredited media and electoral observers, ambulances responding to medical emergencies and firefighters.

Police Inspector General Egbetokun directed the deployment of operational logistics to the affected local government areas in Anambra, Kano, Oyo, Taraba, Enugu, Adamawa, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kano, Ogun, Zamfara and Niger states.

In order to ensure smooth elections, the IGP has also directed the deployment of senior officers of the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police and Commissioners of Police to assist state Commissioners of Police to ensure proper supervision of the electoral process for a smooth and hitch-free election.

Also deployed are officers and men of the Police Mobile Force, Special Intervention Squad, Force Intelligence Department and other tactical units.

Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who signed the statement, said all security aides to VIPs and escorts are not allowed to accompany their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.

He added: ?State-established and owned security outfits/organisations, quasi-security units, and privately-owned guards and security outfits are also barred from participating in election security management.

?The Inspector General of Police hereby charges all officers deployed for this special duty to ensure compliance with NPF standard operational protocols for elections and further urges all citizens to be law abiding during and after the elections and assures that all necessary security arrangements have been emplaced to ensure their right to vote is unobstructed.?

Police commissioners in Oyo and Kogi States also announced their readiness for the day. (The Nation)

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