Garba Mohammed
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the Federal Government of orchestrating intimidation and anti-democratic practices during the August 9 by-elections across the country.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Saturday, the governors alleged that the exercise was marred by over-militarisation, vote-buying, and widespread irregularities. They claimed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) deployed excessive federal might to influence outcomes in several constituencies.
“The Forum condemns the over-militarisation of last Saturday’s by-elections characterised by widespread irregularities, vote-buying and violence, and calls on Nigerians to be more circumspect in protecting their votes,” the communiqué stated.
The governors expressed gratitude to PDP members nationwide for their “steadfast loyalty in the face of intimidation and untold anti-democratic actions,” while urging Nigerians to remain committed to the values and vision of the party. They described the situation as “a sign of desperation by a political party with no agenda and no vision, doomed to face inevitable rejection by the masses.”
The by-elections were conducted to fill vacant senatorial and House of Representatives seats following deaths and resignations of former occupants. At the end of the polls, the APC won 12 constituencies, PDP secured one, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won two, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) clinched one.
However, the Presidency dismissed the PDP’s accusations as baseless. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said opposition parties were free to campaign, vote, and air their views without harassment, stressing that their candidates were duly protected by security agencies.
“You contested an election and you lost. It just shows that the PDP has lost it. Instead of admitting failure, they are making up excuses. There is nothing undemocratic in the posture of this government,” Ajayi said.
Similarly, the Chairman of the APC Forum in the North-Central, Saleh Zazzaga, dismissed the PDP governors’ claims, arguing that the results reflected the party’s strength and the confidence Nigerians still have in President Bola Tinubu. “The elections show that we are fully on ground and that President Tinubu is coming back. The masses are truly with us and that was why they voted our party massively,” he said.
Zazzaga also claimed the PDP was too divided to mount a credible challenge, insisting that the APC’s victories in Kano, Kogi, and Zamfara underscored its dominance and foreshadowed what to expect in the 2027 general elections.
With the war of words intensifying, analysts believe the dispute further exposes the widening gulf between Nigeria’s ruling and opposition parties, raising questions about the health of the country’s democratic processes ahead of the next electoral cycle.