- Usman alleged the All Progressives Congress conspired with security operatives to manipulate the by-election process across several states.
- The Labour Party chair faulted INEC chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, for failing to restore confidence in Nigeria’s battered electoral system.
The faction of the Labour Party led by Nenadi Usman has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s by-elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared results for 16 constituencies across the country where the exercise was held.
The polls were conducted to fill vacant seats in the National Assembly and state houses of assembly.
The ruling All Progressives Congress emerged dominant in the elections, winning the majority of the contested seats.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Usman said the exercise was marred by violence, vote-buying and collusion between the APC and security agencies.
She described the outcome as “a mockery of democracy, a travesty of justice against the Nigerian people and a dangerous dress rehearsal of what may befall us in 2027.”
According to her, reports from across Kaduna, Anambra, Ogun, Oyo and Kano indicated widespread rigging and intimidation of voters.
Usman alleged that the APC, in collaboration with security operatives, orchestrated “shameful acts that desecrated the country’s electoral space.”
She faulted INEC chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, for failing to redeem the commission’s “battered image” after the 2023 general election.
“If INEC cannot conduct minor off-season elections with integrity, how can it be trusted with the nationwide polls of 2027?” she asked.
The LP chair said Nigerians had hoped Yakubu would seek redemption by leaving behind a semblance of credibility but added that “such expectations were misplaced.”
She also called on President Bola Tinubu to “rescue democracy from collapse” by ensuring that the lapses witnessed in the polls do not define future elections.
“History will be unkind to President Tinubu if he allows desperate hawks to push him into further desecrating our democracy,” Usman warned.
She noted that citizens already burdened by the harsh realities of governance must not be further subjected to electoral injustice.
The LP faction failed to win any of the 16 contested seats across the 12 states where the elections were held.