PDP candidate, INEC staff, and thugs arrested
By Rafiyat Sadiq
During Saturday’s by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reports emerged of arrests for vote buying, the capture of thugs, the abduction of party members, and the assault of election agents.
The elections took place in two senatorial districts in Anambra and Edo; five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo; and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara.
Some of the by-elections were triggered by the resignation or death of lawmakers, while court-ordered re-runs also took place in the Onitsha South 1 State Constituency of Anambra State and the Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency of Kano State, both held simultaneously with the other by-elections.
PDP Leader, INEC Staff Arrested in Ogun Over Alleged Vote Buying
Security operatives in Ogun State on Saturday arrested two officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and two staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at a hotel in Iperu-Remo. The suspects were found with a large amount of cash believed to be linked to vote buying.
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A video of the arrest, which went viral, showed an interrogator alleging that the INEC officials had collected money from PDP officers to influence the polls. According to him, the arrest of the INEC staff led investigators to the PDP officials lodged at the hotel.
In the footage, a male INEC officer admitted he had been instructed by his supervisor to collect the cash from the politicians.
One of the PDP members, however, denied the allegation. Introducing himself as a party official in Ogun, he said, “You are just showing money; I don’t know anything about it.”
PDP Alleges Intimidation Over Arrest of Party Officer
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged foul play in the arrest of one of its officials in Ogun State, describing the incident as a plot to intimidate and disenfranchise its members ahead of the by-election.
Director of Media and Communications of the party, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, said the official was arrested around 3:30 a.m. after security operatives allegedly broke into his hotel room in what he called a “commando-style operation”.
Bankole explained that the officer was relaxing with his driver and an aide when he was whisked away. He stressed that no electoral materials were found in his possession, nor was he caught with any large sums of money.
“He had only ₦100,000 in his room. No electoral material was discovered in his hotel room or car,” Bankole said. “It is part of a grand plan to scare our people and disenfranchise them. This is unfortunate and shameful in a democracy.”
The PDP spokesman further distanced the arrested officer from the case involving two INEC officials and others reportedly apprehended with large sums of cash in the same area.
“He does not know the INEC staff arrested. It is practically impossible for him to lodge in the same hotel room with an INEC official. He was only carrying out his responsibility as the state officer of the party under whose watch this election is being conducted,” Bankole added.
288 Suspected Thugs Arrested in Kano By-Elections, APC Demands Cancellation
The police in Kano State said they arrested 288 suspected thugs during the Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency by-elections held on Saturday.
The polls were conducted to fill the vacancy left by the death of Halilu Kundila, a member of the Kano State House of Assembly, who passed away after a brief illness.
Commissioner of Police Alhaji Ibrahim Bakori said the exercise was marred by violence, alleging that thugs were hired to disrupt the process.
He noted that many eligible voters were forced to stay away from polling stations due to the presence of armed men wielding dangerous weapons.
In reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) demanded the cancellation of the elections.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement on Saturday, alleged widespread violence and disruption of the polls by armed thugs in several polling units.
He added that voters were chased away from polling centres, while security operatives deployed to the constituencies were overwhelmed by the attacks.
PDP Candidate, 25 Supporters Arrested in Kaduna; Vote Buying Alleged in Oyo and Anambra
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State has accused security operatives of abducting its House of Representatives candidate for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency by-election, Princess Esther Ashivelli Dawaki, along with 25 of her supporters.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, the State PDP Chairman, Sir Edward Percy Masha, alleged that the joint security operation stormed a hotel in Malali in search of the Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Hon. Hussein Ahmed-Kero. When they failed to find him, the operatives reportedly whisked away Dawaki and other party members.
Vote Buying Allegations in Oyo
In Oyo State, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, Femi Dexter Akin-Alamu, accused political actors of engaging in large-scale vote buying.
Speaking after casting his ballot at Ward 11, Polling Unit 38, University of Ibadan, Akin-Alamu claimed he had received reports of voters being offered cash and other inducements in exchange for their votes.
Suspect Caught With ₦26m in Kaduna
Meanwhile, security operatives in Kaduna metropolis arrested a suspected vote buyer found with ₦25,963,000 in cash just hours before the commencement of the by-elections.
Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said preliminary investigations showed the money was meant to induce voters. He added that the suspect confessed to the offence during interrogation and pleaded for leniency.
Vote Buying Alleged in Anambra South
In Anambra South Senatorial District, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) faced fresh allegations of vote buying during Saturday’s by-election.
Reports from Nnewi South, Nnewi North, Ihiala, and Ekwusigo local government areas indicated that voters were allegedly offered between ₦10,000 and ₦25,000 per vote.
At Ukpor, hometown of APGA candidate Dr Emma Nwachukwu, residents also reported similar practices.
A voter, Madam Comfort Okoye, told reporters: “They came here and gave everybody money ranging from ₦10,000 to ₦25,000. There is hunger in the land; some of us rejected their offers, but others didn’t. It is unfortunate.”
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
