Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has said mischief makers were circulating fake result that he lost his polling unit. He remarked that in their desperation, they mischievously linked him to PU 001 while his PU is 002.

In a statement issued on his behalf by his media aide, Mati Ali, and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday, it was noted that the result of the polling unit trending on social media was false and misleading.

The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to the circulation of an election result from Babura Kofar Arewa Polling Unit 001, mischievously attributed to the Honourable Minister of Defence, His Excellency Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, CON, mni. The statement noted that this claim is false, untrue, and deliberately misleading.”

Reacting, LP described the elections as “nothing short of a mockery of democracy, a travesty of justice against the Nigerian people.”

The party, in its review of the polls, said rigging, violence and vote-buying were witnessed in the states where the exercise held. It noted that the development was a “dangerous dress rehearsal of what may befall us in 2027 if citizens do not act swiftly to halt this brigandage.”

The interim national chairman of the party, Senator Nenadi Usman, claimed that the ruling APC colluded with other agencies assigned to monitor the elections to perpetrate fraudulent practices.

“From Kaduna to Anambra, Ogun to Oyo, and Kano, the narrative remained the same: large-scale rigging, brazen vote-buying, and violence defined the process. Independent accounts confirmed that the ruling APC — often in collusion with security agencies — stood at the very centre of these shameful acts that desecrated our electoral space.

If INEC cannot conduct minor off-season elections with integrity, one shudders at the thought of how it intends to manage the nationwide polls of 2027,” the party spokesman, Mr. Ken Asogwa, reacted on its behalf in Abuja on Sunday.

The party accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of standing in the way of free and fair voting, recalling how in 2023 the commission, according to the LP, allegedly looked the other way while opposition parties were denied fair participation in the elections.

“We, therefore, call on President Bola Tinubu to rise to the occasion and rescue our democracy from imminent collapse.”

APC has described results of the bye-lections conducted at the weekend across the country as a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party.

National publicity secretary of the party, Barrister Felix Morka, made the claim on Sunday in a statement. Morka declared that the victory of the party candidates in the states and National Assembly election “is yet another solid endorsement of the President Bola Tinubu administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda, designed to deliver, and now steadily delivering transformation of our country’s economy and other sectors of our national life,” the APC stated.

While it commended the National Chairman of the party, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, for his role in ensuring the party’s success story, the statement equally thanked the electorate for their sustained support for the APC.

The statement read: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) thanks Nigerians immensely for their decisive support which resulted in the massive triumph of our candidates in last Saturday’s legislative bye-elections conducted across twelve states of the Federation.

“This win is yet another solid endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda designed to deliver, and now steadily delivering, transformation of our country’s economy and other sectors of our national life.

“We commend the President and leader of our great party for creating a level-playing field for the bye-election contest, as well as our Progressive Governors, devoted party leaders, members, and supporters for their sacrificial efforts and contribution towards this electoral victory.

“Our hearty congratulations go to our victorious candidates across the country, and we charge them to reward their constituents with purposeful legislative interventions that translate the Renewed Hope Agenda to meaningful benefits for the people.” (Nigerian Tribune)