2022 Nigerian House of Representatives elections

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2022 House of Representatives by-elections in Nigeria to fill legislative vacancies

2022 Nigerian House of Representatives elections
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The 2022 Nigerian House of Representatives elections are called to fill vacant seats in the House of Representatives.

Background[edit]

The 360 members of the House of Representatives are elected from single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post voting; when vacancies occur, by-elections (or bye-elections) are called, scheduled, and administered by the Independent National Electoral Commission. New elections are also called if the general election was annulled by a court or election tribunal with these elections being referred to as supplementary elections if the election is only held in certain polling units and as rerun elections if the election held throughout the entire constituency.

Elections[edit]

Summary[edit]

Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency by-election[edit]

On 16 August 2021, member for Akure North/Akure South Adedayo Omolafe (PDP) died from an undisclosed illness.[1] In December 2021, INEC stated its intent to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology for the by-election along with having polling unit workers upload results directly to the INEC results portal on Election Day.[2] In January, INEC set the date for the by-election for 26 February alongside five other by-elections, with party primaries taking place between 26 January and 5 February.[3]

Primary elections[edit]

All Progressives Congress

The APC conducted an indirect primary on 1 February to nominate one of eight cleared candidates.[4] Mayokun Lawson-Alade emerged as the nominee with over 43% of the vote, defeating former Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs Omowunmi Olatunji-Ohwovoriole and former Ondo State House of Assembly member Ademola Adegoroye.[5]

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People’s Democratic Party

The PDP conducted an indirect primary on 3 February to nominate one of five cleared candidates.[4] Olumuyiwa Adu emerged as the nominee with 42% of the vote, defeating former Ondo State House of Assembly member Kemisola Adesanya.[6]

General election[edit]

Ahead of the by-election, the campaigns of both APC nominee Mayokun Lawson-Alade and PDP nominee Olumuyiwa Adu were optimistic, with Adu hoping to be buoyed by the late Omolafe’s popularity in the constituency. Observers noted that despite the areas being a PDP stronghold, the race was shaping up to be competitive and close.[7][8]

Security-wise, the pre-election situation was described as peacefully normal and that peace continued in most units on election day; however, there was a report of a voter being assaulted in one unit along with a number of vote buying accusations notably including a claim that Ondo State Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa (APC) personally went to a unit to organize a vote buying operation.[9][10][11] On the other hand, INEC was commended for the timely opening of units and functioning BVAS machines.[12]

After the votes were counted, Lawson-Alade was announced as victor after results showed him defeating Adu by about 2,000 votes, 51% to 47%; the election had 14.41% turnout.[13][14] Anonymous PDP sources blamed poor campaigning for the loss of the stronghold constituency while Ondo APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, cited the party’s strategy and governing performance.[15]

Candidates’ vote share

  Mayokun Lawson-Alade (APC) (51.36%)
  Olumuyiwa Adu (PDP) (47.13%)

  Other candidates (1.51%)

Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency by-election[edit]

On 2 April 2021, member for Jos North/Bassa Haruna Maitala (APC) died in a car crash.[18] In December 2021, INEC stated its intent to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology for the by-election along with having polling unit workers upload results directly to the INEC results portal on Election Day.[2] In January, INEC set the date for the by-election for 26 February alongside five other by-elections, with party primaries taking place between 26 January and 5 February.[3]

Primary elections[edit]

All Progressives Congress

The APC scheduled its primary for 1 February, however, the process did not begin until the early morning of 2 February to nominate one of four cleared candidates.[19][20] The primary was marred by mass vote-buying by the surrogates of several candidates.[21] Later on 2 February, the party declared the primary inconclusive after both former Plateau State Commerce Commissioner Joseph Abbey Aku and former member for Jos North/Bassa Suleiman Yahaya Kwande obtained 344 votes. However, both Aku and Yahaya Kwande rejected the announced results and declared victory; the primary election panel consulted with the national party before deciding to hold a rerun primary.[22]

The rerun primary was scheduled for 4 February, however, only Aku participated as Yahaya Kwande petitioned the national APC claiming that he had won the original primary election. The rerun ended with Aku winning overwhelmingly with 809 of 883 votes while Yahaya Kwande received only 74 votes.[23]

People’s Democratic Party

The PDP conducted a primary on 3 February to nominate one of its cleared candidates. Musa Agah, a Plateau State House of Assembly member for Irigwe/Rukuba, emerged as the nominee with 54% of the vote, defeating 2019 PDP nominee Jonathan Dabo.[24]

General election[edit]

In the days before the election, observers noted that the race was shaping up to have three major candidates: APC nominee Joseph Abbey Aku, PDP nominee Musa Agah Avia, and PRP nominee Muhammad Adamu Alkali. Analysts also observed regional dynamics as providing issues for the major party nominees and an opening for Alkali as both Aku and Agah Avia are Christians from Bassa LGA which could’ve lead to potential vote splitting to the benefit of Alkali, a Muslim from Jos North LGA. Another potential benefit for Alkali were the contentious APC primaries which allowed him to reach out to aggrieved APC members.[7]

On Election Day, INEC was commended for the timely opening of units and functioning BVAS machines but voters noted low turnout of the electorate.[25] When results were tabulated and announced, Agah Avia emerged the winner as he beat first runner-up Alkali by under 3,000 votes with a turnout of 18.07%.[26] Reactions from the PDP claimed the result was a sign of the party’s good prospects for 2023 in Plateau while the PRP party agent refused to sign the election final result sheet, alleging that there were irregularities at the Tudun Wada/Kabon collation centre.[27][28][29][30] In the weeks after the election, pundits argued over if the PRP share was simply a protest vote in the wake of contested APC primaries or a sign of wider disdain for the Plateau APC.[31]

On September 2, the Tribunal sacked Avia and declared Alkali the victor after the PRP presented evidence of overvoting.[32] In late October, a Court of Appeal judgment upheld the Tribunal’s ruling and ordered Alkali to be seated due to both overvoting in the general election and improprieties in the PDP nomination process.[33] Alkali was sworn in on 14 November 2022.[34]

Candidates’ vote share

  Musa Agah Avia (PDP) (37.69%)
  Muhammad Adamu Alkali (PRP) (35.28%)
  Joseph Abbey Aku (APC) (24.40%)

  Other candidates (2.63%)

Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency by-election[edit]

On 22 September 2021, member for Ogoja/Yala Agom Jarigbe (PDP) resigned after being sworn in as Senator for Cross River North.[36] In December 2021, INEC stated its intent to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology for the by-election along with having polling unit workers upload results directly to the INEC results portal on Election Day.[2] In January, INEC set the date for the by-election for 26 February alongside five other by-elections, with party primaries taking place between 26 January and 5 February.[3]

Primary elections[edit]

All Progressives Congress

The APC conducted a primary on 1 February to pick a nominee.[37] The consensus nominee became Jude Ngaji, a former aide to governors Liyel Imoke and Benedict Ayade, who ran unopposed.[38] Prior to the primary, the party prevented candidates from purchasing nomination forms as it attempted to reach consensus leading to accusations of imposition from candidates.[39]

People’s Democratic Party

The PDP conducted a primary on 3 February to nominate one of its cleared candidates.[37] Mike Usibe, a former Cross River State commissioner, emerged as the nominee with nearly 80% of the vote, defeating barrister Godwin Offiono.[40]

General election[edit]

In the days before the election, observers noted a contentious atmosphere as the two major parties traded accusations of planned manipulation and fears of violence rose. Both parties strove to win the election as it (along with the Akpabuyo State Constituency by-election) was one of the first elections in Cross River State since Governor Benedict Ayade defected to the APC in May 2021 and thus a powerful signal for the path the state is taking ahead of the 2023 elections.[7]

On the day of the election, allegations of manipulation were quickly leveled with Ogoja Local Government Chairman Emmanuel Ishabor (APC) being accused of leading security agents to briefly disrupt voting and personally assaulting a young voter along with a video of Ayade aide Jimmy Bajie supposedly stealing ballot boxes; although he claimed to simply have been helping INEC officials carry the boxes.[41][42] Feared violence also transpired as the convey of former member, now-Senator, Jarigbe was attacked by gunmen in Ogoja after the attackers had stolen several results sheets; luckily, no one was injured in the attack and INEC officials had already recorded the results on some of the stolen sheets.[43][44]

Despite the violence and disruptions, INEC announced the full results with Jude Ngaji of the APC winning by about 2,000 votes over Mike Usibe of the PDP; the election’s turnout was 23.69%.[45] Almost immediately, the PDP rejected the declared results and stated its intention to challenge the election.[46]

Candidates’ vote share

  Jude Ngaji (APC) (51.97%)
  Mike Usibe (PDP) (46.98%)

  Other candidates (1.05%)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Babajide, Abdul (16 August 2021). “Reps member, Adedayo Omolafe is dead”. Daily Post. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Okocha, Chuks. “INEC Reviews Bimodal System, Unveils Electoral Innovations”. ThisDay. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Olokor, Friday (14 January 2022). “INEC fixes six by-elections for February 26”. The Punch. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Momoh, Adewale. “Ondo Bye-Election: APC, PDP Set For Primaries With 13 Aspirants”. New Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b Babajide, Abdul (February 2022). “Ondo bye-election: Alade wins APC primary (see full results)”. Daily Post. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b Babajide, Abdul (3 February 2022). “Ondo Bye-Election: Olumuyiwa Adu emerges standard-bearer for PDP”. Daily Post. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b c “By-Elections: APC, PDP, Others Battle For 6 Parliamentary Seats Today”. Daily Trust. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  8. ^ Gbolagunte, Bamigbola (26 February 2022). “Ondo by-election: PDP, APC in show of strength”. The Sun. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ^ Gbadamosi, Hakeem (26 February 2022). “Ondo Bye-Election: Voters Accuse Deputy Governor Of Sharing Money”. Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  10. ^ Akintunde, Jacob (27 February 2022). “Ondo by-election: APC, PDP trade accusation over vote-buying”. Business Day. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  11. ^ Johnson, Dayo (26 February 2022). “Bye-election: Tension in Ondo over alleged sharing of money by Deputy governor at voting centres”. Vanguard. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  12. ^ “Ondo By-election: Voters laud INEC on early commencement of exercise”. Peoples Gazette. News Agency of Nigeria. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  13. ^ “APC wins Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency by-election”. Peoples Gazette. News Agency of Nigeria. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  14. ^ Babajide, Abdul (27 February 2022). “APC defeats PDP in Akure bye-election amid vote buying allegations”. Daily Post. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  15. ^ Otabor, Osagie. “Ondo PDP mum after bye-election loss in stronghold”. The Nation. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  16. ^ “Declaration of Result of the Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency Bye -Election in Ondo State, held on 26th February 2022”. Twitter. Independent National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  17. ^ “Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency Bye Election, Ondo State”. Twitter. Upline Centre For Development. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  18. ^ “Rep. Maitala, son, 2 others die in auto crash”. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  19. ^ Bere, Gyang. “Plateau: APC holds Jos North/Bassa, Pankshin South party primaries Feb 1”. The Sun. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  20. ^ Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa Constituency: APC gives reasons for delay in commencement of primary”. Daily Post. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  21. ^ Busari, Yakubu (2 February 2022). “How APC Votes Buying Marred Plateau Bye Election of Jos North/Bassa Rep”. Universal Reporters. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  22. ^ Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa bye-election: APC primary election ends in stalemate as Kwande, Abbey claim victory”. Daily Post. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  23. ^ a b Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa bye-election: Gov. Lalong’s former commissioner, Aku emerges APC flagbearer”. Daily Post. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  24. ^ a b Pwanagba, Agabus. “Plateau Assembly member wins PDP primary for Jos North/Bassa Bye-Election”. Daily Post. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  25. ^ Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa bye-election: Stakeholders commend INEC as residents decry apathy”. Daily Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  26. ^ Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa bye-election: PDP candidate, Avia wins”. Daily Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  27. ^ Itodo, Yemi. “Ortom rejoices over PDP’s triumph in Plateau bye-election, says rescue mission on course”. Daily Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  28. ^ Pwanagba, Agabus. “Jos North/Bassa bye-election: Avia’s victory, foretaste of what to come in 2023 – Jang”. Daily Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  29. ^ Tauna, Amos. “2023: PDP will capture Plateau – Party scribe boasts”. Daily Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  30. ^ Musa, Ado Abubakar. “PRP Kicks As PDP Wins Jos North/Bassa Constituency By-Election”. Daily Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  31. ^ Abimaje, Achor. “Has By-election Altered Political Equations On The Plateau?”. Leadership. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  32. ^ Shittu, Muhammad Tanko. “Bassa/Jos-North: Tribunal sacks Rep Agah, orders return of Adam Alkali”. Daily Nigerian. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  33. ^ “Jos North/Bassa: Appeal Court Upholds PRP Candidate, Sacks PDP Rep”. Daily Trust. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  34. ^ Atime, Elizabeth. “PRP lawmaker takes PDP Rep seat, sworn-in as new member”. OrderPaper Nigeria. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  35. ^ “Declaration of Result of the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency Bye Election in Plateau State, held on 26th February 2022”. Twitter. Independent National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  36. ^ Kwen, James. “Cross River lawmaker, Jarigbe quits Reps, joins Senate”. Business Day. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  37. ^ a b “APC, PDP Roll Out Timetable For February 26 Ogoja/Yala, Other Parliamentary By-Election”. Cross River Hub. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  38. ^ Monday, Obio. “JUST IN: Ogoja/Yala Bye-election: Chief Jude Ngaji Emerges APC Flagbearer”. Grassroot Reporters. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  39. ^ Okoro, Judex. “Cross River: 10 jostle for Ogoja/Yala federal constituency by-election as APC restrains aspirants from purchasing nomination form”. The Sun. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  40. ^ Okoro, Judex. “Cross River: Usibe emerges C’River PDP candidate for Reps by-election, promises to deliver if elected”. The Sun. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  41. ^ Ulom, Frank. “CRS By-elections: Ogoja Council Boss allegedly leads security to disrupt voting in LGA”. The Paradise. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  42. ^ Ulom, Frank. “CRS By-elections: Ayade’s Aide caught on Camera allegedly stealing ballot boxes in Ogoja”. The Paradise. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  43. ^ Uchechukwu, Ike. “Cross River Bye-Election: Sen Jarigbe cheats death as gunmen attack his convoy in Ogoja”. Vanguard. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  44. ^ Ulom, Frank. “Jarigbe escapes death as heavily armed men went on rampage in Ogoja/Yala by-election”. The Paradise. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  45. ^ Okoro, Judex. “APC wins Ogoja/Yala constituency by-elections, as PDP takes Akpabuyo”. The Sun. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  46. ^ Uchechukwu, Ike. “Cross River by-elections: APC, PDP ready for tribunal”. Vanguard. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  47. ^ “Declaration of Result of the Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency Bye-Election in Cross River State, held on 26th February 2022”. Twitter. Independent National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 March 2022.


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