2023 Poll: Electoral Upsets Changing The Dynamics In Niger State

The outcome of the recently concluded Presidential and National Assembly election in Niger State has changed the long-standing political order in the state.

It has changed the political dynamics of the state, to the extent that political parties lost their traditional grip and alliances formed across political parties to edge out incumbent National Assembly members.

Worst hit by the inter-party alliances is the Senator Representing Niger South, Mohammed Bima Enagi, who lost his seat

In a very tense election, Senator Bima of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost the seat to Hon Peter Ndalikali who was a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007.

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The Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Hon Ndalikali was declared the winner of the Niger South senatorial district dominated by the APC since 2015 to date after a long wait.

The Returning Officer Niger South Senatorial District election, Prof Abubakar Muhammad-Bitagi, at a point could not be located but at last, he announced that Ndalikali secured the seat with 100,498 votes while senator Muhammad Bima-Enagi of APC got 97,453 votes.

The implication is Enagi was beaten by 3,045 votes in the election. Tongues later wag that even the APC members in Bima’s immediate constituency allegedly worked against him.

Similarly, the PDP’s won in Edati/Lavun/Mokwa Federal constituency Joshua Audu Gana beat the incumbent  Abdullahi Usman Gbatamagi of APC

Also, PDP candidate Adamu Tanko defeated Hon Abubakar Lado for Suleja/Tafa/ Gurara federal constituencies after defeating the APC candidates who are incumbent.

There was another upset in the federal constituency of two former Nigeria Leaders, Generals Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar as PDP won the federal constituency.

My findings revealed that the last time the federal constituency was won by the PDP was in 2003 when PDP was the ruling party in the state and at the national level.

It was however different in the last election as the Returning Officer for the Federal Constituency Prof Mercy Modupe Adeyeye, declared the PDP candidate Alhaji Abubakar Abdul Buba as the winner. gaining  35, 688 votes to defeat the APC’s candidate  Abubakar Adamu who scored  19,282.

Also I discovered that even some APC members worked against the APC Candidate, Abubakar Adamu, for the Chanchga federal constituency as a result of the grief carried over from the party’s primaries.

In totality, APC won 6 House of Representatives seats and 2 Senate seats while  PDP won 3 House of Representatives seats and a senate in the state against 2015 and 2019 PDP did not produce any National Assembly member.

A political affairs commentator Dauda Abdullahi said the upsets that injured the APC more in the election were caused by skewed primary elections “where those who people wanted and popular were not allowed to fly the flag of the party.