Candidates who lost Saturday’s governorship election and their supporters protested the outcome on Tuesday, vowing to challenge the results in court. In Ogun and Nasarawa states, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters staged demonstrations, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seven days to declare the governorship election inconclusive. So far, INEC has announced that the APC has won 15 states, the PDP eight, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) emerged victorious in Kano State.
In Ogun State, a PDP protest turned violent when a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer fired a shot into the air to disperse demonstrators who had stormed the INEC office in Abeokuta. Scores of PDP members, led by candidate Oladipupo Adebutu, marched to the office to reject the result that saw Adebutu lose to APC candidate and incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun. Security operatives blocked entry, and during the ensuing confusion an NSCDC official fired a warning shot. Protesters responded by hurling stones at the officer, who fled. Several security personnel, including officials of the Department of State Services, were injured. Demonstrators sang anti‑INEC songs and carried placards with slogans such as “INEC should save our democracy,” “INEC betrayed the people of Ogun,” “Electoral fraud will not stand,” and “Ogun election was inconclusive, INEC correct yourself.”
Adebutu told reporters at the office entrance that he had come to submit a petition and would not leave until INEC officials addressed the crowd. He said the party had sent multiple protest letters demanding a review of Saturday’s results and a rerun in polling units where elections were cancelled or disrupted. Adebutu warned that using security agencies against the people could lead to another #EndSARS‑style protest. He argued that Ogun should be treated like Adamawa and Kebbi, whose elections were declared inconclusive and ordered to be rerun. After a closed‑door meeting with some INEC officials, Adebutu urged his supporters to remain law‑abiding.
In Nasarawa State, where APC Governor Abdullahi Sule defeated PDP candidate David Ombugadu, about 500 women from 13 local government areas dressed in black marched on Lafia, the state capital, demanding the cancellation of the governorship election. The PDP Women Leader, Stella Oboshi, led the peaceful protest, citing irregularities in the Gayam and Ciroma wards of Lafia LGA. She noted that while the governorship results had been announced, the simultaneous House of Assembly election remained inconclusive. Oboshi called for the governorship result to be declared inconclusive as well, allowing a fresh start, and appealed for calm among PDP and opposition supporters.
In Kano State, the APC rejected the declaration of NNPP candidate Abba Kabiru Yusuf as governor. APC Chairman Abdullahi Abba, represented by legal adviser Abdul Adamu Fagge, argued that cancelled votes exceeded the margin between the first and second candidates and that 16 House of Assembly votes had been cancelled due to violence yet were still counted in the governorship tally. The party gave INEC a seven‑day ultimatum to declare the election inconclusive.
Plateau State’s APC candidate, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, who lost to PDP’s Caleb Mutfwang, vowed to challenge the result in court. He claimed the vote count was inflated, citing a 100 percent increase in votes despite low voter turnout. The PDP’s state publicity secretary, John Akans, dismissed Yilwatda’s allegations as desperation.
In Kaduna State, the PDP rejected the APC’s Senator Uba Sani as governor‑elect. Returning Officer Prof Lawal Suleiman Bilbis announced Sani’s 730,002 votes against PDP candidate Isah Ashiru’s 719,196. PDP chairman Felix Hyet called the outcome “daylight robbery,” accusing INEC of lacking transparency and using questionable results from its IReV server. Hyet said the party would pursue all lawful measures, including legal action, but would not stage a protest.
The NNPP’s Akwa Ibom State chapter expressed dissatisfaction with the announced results, labeling them a “purchased election” by the PDP. Spokesperson Solomon Johnny did not specify whether the party would take legal action.
In Enugu State, the Inter‑Party Advisory Council (IPAC) urged INEC to release the March 18 governorship results without delay. Chairman Chief Edwin Alor reminded that INEC lacks legal authority to review collated results and called on the Resident Electoral Commissioner and State Returning Officer to announce the winner promptly, noting that the election had been “comparatively free, fair and credible.”
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) also pressed INEC to resolve the “logjam” in the election. CLO South‑East Zone chairman Aloysius Attah warned against subverting the people’s will and urged the commission’s officials to respect democratic outcomes, stating that “no more shall they be deprived of their guaranteed democratic rights.”
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