APC Wins Multiple By-Elections Amid Allegations of Fraud

The All Progressives Congress (APC) secured victories in a series of by-elections held June 20-21, 2026, winning seats in Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kano, Enugu, and Ondo states. In Enugu North, candidate Ikeje Asogwa won a landslide victory with 162,360 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party's Nestor Ezeme. Governor Peter Mbah characterized the result as a statement of the APC's dominance in the state. In Nasarawa North, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Halilu Dangadi Envwulanza the winner with 45,362 votes.

These victories were met with strong opposition and claims of electoral malpractice. Labour Party candidate Labaran Maku rejected the Nasarawa North results, describing the process as a complete sham. Maku alleged that INEC colluded with the Nasarawa State government to rig the outcome through ballot thumb-printing and deliberate Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) malfunctions. Consequently, Maku and the Labour Party announced their withdrawal from the election and demanded a full cancellation and rerun.

Similar tensions emerged in other regions. In Rivers, the Peoples Democratic Party retained the South-East Senatorial seat through candidate Olaka Nwogu, but Action Alliance candidate Douglas Fabeke accused INEC and police of aiding rigging. While INEC described the overall process as orderly, the elections were marked by reports of violence, ballot-box snatching in Enugu, and walkouts by party agents at collation centers.