The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has congratulated the party’s candidates who emerged victorious in four of the five legislative by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states.
The elections were held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, comprising one federal constituency and four State House of Assembly constituencies. APC secured four of the five seats, while the Allied Peoples Movement won the remaining seat in Bauchi State.
In a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, Yilwatda congratulated Kallamu Usman MaiJama’a of Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in Gombe State, Husseini Datti of Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano State, Okolosi Ator of Udu State Constituency in Delta State and Yakubu Ali of Disina State Constituency in Bauchi State.
Yilwatda said the results reflected the confidence placed in the APC candidates and commended party leaders, state chapters, campaign teams and voters for their participation in the electoral process.
He also commended INEC, security agencies and other stakeholders involved in the conduct of the elections.
The APC national chairman urged the newly elected lawmakers to see their victories as a responsibility to serve their constituents.
According to the results reported by TheCable, MaiJama’a won the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye federal constituency seat with 41,121 votes, while the Labour Party polled 3,553 votes. The seat became vacant following the death of the former representative, Yaya Bauchi Tongo.
In Kano State, APC’s Husseini Datti won the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency election with 22,890 votes. The Peoples Redemption Party came second with 270 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party recorded 108 votes.
In Delta State, APC candidate Okolosi Ator won the Udu State Constituency election with 8,724 votes, while the PDP recorded 214 votes, according to results reported after the polls.
Bauchi State produced two different outcomes. APC’s Yakubu Ali won the Disina State Constituency election with 5,846 votes, narrowly ahead of the APM candidate, who scored 5,225 votes. However, APM candidate Adamu Yakubu won the Sakwa State Constituency election with 8,515 votes, defeating APC, which polled 3,771 votes.
Reacting to the results, Yilwatda described the victories as a call to service and urged the successful candidates to remain focused on representing their constituents.
The results come as political parties and electoral stakeholders continue preparations for the 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, described the bye-elections as important operational exercises that would provide lessons for the commission ahead of the general elections.
Amupitan said the polls would enable INEC to assess its logistics, technology deployment and administrative readiness. He added that every election, regardless of its size, provided an opportunity for the commission to identify challenges and improve its processes.
Reports from the four states indicated that the elections were generally peaceful, although some challenges were recorded. These included reports of low voter turnout in parts of Gombe and Kano and problems involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in Delta State. In Bauchi, police reportedly arrested 47 people accused of posing as members of a state-owned security outfit at some polling units in Shira Local Government Area.
The five contests therefore produced four victories for APC and one for APM, while INEC has said the experience will contribute to its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
For the APC, Yilwatda’s congratulatory message marks the party’s formal response to the results, while the successful candidates now face the task of assuming their legislative responsibilities for the remainder of the current electoral tenure.
