Candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday won the three bye-elections  held in Bachi, Katsina and Kogi States.

They defeated the candidates of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in the contests which were adjudged to have been characterized by vote-buying.

One of the major losers in the bye-elections was the candidate of the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) and former governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda  who lost his bid to represent Bauchi South Senatorial District which was conducted to fill the vacant seat created by the death last March of Senator Ali Wakili.

Announcing the result on Sunday evening at INEC headquarters in Bauchi, the returning officer, Prof. Ahmed Fagam Sarki Misau of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi disclosed that the APC candidate, Lawal Yahaya Gumau, who is currently a member of the  House of Representatives polled 119,489 votes to emerge victorious.

According to Misau, Yuguda came third in the election having garnered 33,079 votes behind the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who polled 50, 256 votes while the candidates of the APP got 11,719; NNPP, 22,896; SDP, 3,800 and ADC, 754.

The returning officer said that the total votes cast in the election were 256,763, adding that 51,460 votes were cancelled, leaving 245,652 as valid votes with 11,111 votes rejected.

The APC won in six of the seven councils: Alkaleri, Bauchi, Dass, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa and Toro, which make up the senatorial district while the PDP won only in Bogoro council where the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Yakubu Dogara hails from.

In Katsina State, INEC declared Alhaji Ahmed Babba Kaita of the APC as the winner of the bye-election conducted in the Katsina North Senatorial Zone.

Announcing the results in Duara on Sunday, INEC’s Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Hudu Ayuba-Abdullahi said Kaita, who is also a member of the House of Representatives scored 224,607 votes while his elder brother and a retired customs officer, Alhaji Kabir Babba Kaita of the PDP scored 59,724 votes to place second.

Abdullahi said that the total number of registered voters was 864,046 while the number of accredited voters was 308,500, adding that the total votes cast was 294,050 out of which 287,155 were counted as valid while 10,891 votes were declared void.

Six political parties contested the seat, which became vacant after the death of Senator Bukar Mustapha. They include the Democratic Alliance (DA), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), MNM, and MPN.

The situation was no different in Kogi State as INEÇ on Sunday announced the candidate of the APC, Haruna Isa as the winner of the House of Representatives bye-election for Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency.

According to INEC’s Returning Officer, Rotimi Ajayi of the Federal University, Lokoja, who announced the results, Isa scored 26,860 votes while Bashir Abubakar of the PDP polled 14,845 votes.

Ajayi disclosed that the candidates of the African Democratic Party (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kasim Mabo and Umar Imam got 2,984 and 2,916 respectively.

He further explained that results from 17 polling units, totalling 19,960 votes, were cancelled due to violence and massive irregularities, revealing that 15 of the cancelled units were from Lokoja Local Government Area.

The bye-election in Kogi was however marred by violence and massive irregularities, culminating in the killing of four persons who wanted to snatch ballot boxes. Wanton destruction of vehicles and other property were equally reported.

It was however not all losses for the opposition PDP as its candidate, Mrs. Abbey Ukpukpen won the Obudu state constituency bye-election into the Cross River State House of Assembly.

Mrs. Ukpukpen, a widow, will now be sworn in to replace her late husband, Stephen Ukpukpen, who was a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly before he died in May this year.

Announcing the results in Obudu, headquarters of Obudu Local Government Area, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Frankland Briyai said that Mrs. Ukpukpen  scored 12,712 votes to beat her closest rival, Ishamali Bendel of the APC who scored 4,345 votes.

Briyai doisclosed that Awafang Angiating of Mega Party of Nigeria scored 132 votes while Agwupuye Umeka of African Democratic Party polled 114 votes, to emerge third and fourth respectively.