Advertisements
Political parties in the opposition have encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission to showcase its dedication to free, fair, and credible elections during today’s by-elections, which are taking place in 16 constituencies across 12 states.
Ten state constituencies in the states of Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara, as well as two senatorial districts in the states of Edo and Anambra, and five federal seats in the states of Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo will be decided in the by-elections.
While the by-elections are too soon to provide a complete picture of the party’s electoral strength, African Democratic Congress spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi warned that they would be keenly observed as an examination of the party’s and the country’s political and institutional honesty.
Advertisements
The All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi said, should use the practice to show Nigerians that their election would be free and fair.
To show Nigerians that they will be fair and unbiased, the ruling party might use the by-election. He warned that the country would suffer if they blew these chances because it may demoralise voters even more for future elections.
It would be premature to judge the ADC’s strength based on the results of Saturday’s election, Abdullahi said.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, spoke with Saturday XANDERTECH as well, expressing the party’s preparedness for the contest while cautioning that INEC’s integrity was still being questioned.
For as long as Nigeria’s democracy has existed, we have shown that we are capable and eager to participate. No matter how negative we are about INEC, we will not back down from this election. The onus is now on INEC to demonstrate to the people of Nigeria that it is an impartial arbiter.
According to Abdullahi, “INEC has recently shown a desire to fix some of its anomalies and mistakes from past elections, especially 2023. Our party has decided to participate in all the by-elections in all the states involved. Now it’s up to INEC to prove itself by living up to its promises.”
At the same time, Segun Sowunmi, a PDP chieftain in Ogun State, urged more people to cast ballots in the by-election.
At an event in the Ifo section of the state, Sowunmi lamented the voter turnout and attitude of the populace, stating that everyone should have a say in selecting a leader.
He said Nigerians couldn’t continue to complain about the administration when they are not participating in the process of picking the leader.
SDP candidates are included by INEC
The Independent National Voters’ Commission (INEC) recognised candidates from the Social Democratic Party for the upcoming by-elections on Friday.
The decision was made in response to a ruling by the Federal High Court that ordered the commission to acknowledge the involvement of the party.
INEC Chairman Sam Olumekun, who is also the iys National Commissioner, made the announcement in an official statement.
The commission stated that it had previously barred the SDP from participating in the polls on the grounds that the party had not provided a legitimate notice for the primaries, preventing INEC from carrying out its legal monitoring duties.
Judgement in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025 from the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has been served on the commission.
The ruling mandated that the commission convene by-elections in twelve states where the Social Democratic Party had candidates.
“The party did not earlier submit a valid notice for the conduct of primaries for the bye-elections. Because of this, the commission did not keep tabs on them.
Nonetheless, we have published the names of the candidates whose submissions were made manually on our website in accordance with the judgement. According to Olumekun, the party will take part in the by-elections.
Voters were reassured by INEC that the elections will still go ahead as scheduled, despite the last-minute court order.
IG bans Amotekun and others, sends tactical squads
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the deployment of tactical teams and senior officers to the 13 states where bye-elections would happen.
In a statement released on Friday by Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force spokesman, Egbetokun ordered the Commissioners of Police and Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to supervise operations in the areas where the elections will be held. The Mobile Force, Special Intervention Squad, Force Intelligence Department, and other tactical units will also be supporting this effort.
“In light of the upcoming bye-election in thirteen states across the Federation set to take place tomorrow, August 16, 2025, the Inspector-General of Police has restated his previous orders regarding the deployment of operational logistics to the impacted states and local government areas where the elections will take place in order to create a conducive atmosphere for free and fair elections,” the statement read in part. A number of states have been impacted, including Anambra, Kano, Oyo, Taraba, Enugu, Adamawa, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kano, Ogun, Zamfara, and Niger.
“To guarantee a seamless election, the IGP has ordered the deployment of senior officers to assist state commissioners of police in supervising the electoral process. Additionally, members of the Police Mobile Force, Special Intervention Squad, Force Intelligence Department, and other tactical units have been deployed alongside these officers and men.”
The head of police also issued an edict prohibiting Amotekun and other state-owned security firms, as well as other quasi-security and privately-owned security organisations, from being involved in the management of election security.
From midnight to 6 p.m. on election day, Egbetokun also limited vehicular movement, including on waterways in the impacted local government areas. The only exceptions to this were individuals on essential duties, such as accredited media, INEC officials, firefighters, emergency medical services, and electoral observers.