The Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially rejected the outcome of the Nasarawa North Senatorial District by-election. The party is urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to annul the exercise, citing multiple electoral irregularities.
In a statement released on Sunday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Danjuma Joseph, claimed that the NDC’s logo was missing from official election materials, despite the party being a registered participant. According to the party, the logo that appeared on the ballot paper was not theirs, which they believe confused voters and negatively impacted their performance.
The NDC further alleged that its logo was absent from result sheets used during the election, and party agents were reportedly denied the opportunity to sign at ward, local government, and state collation centers. “The logo printed on the ballot paper does not belong to our party. This appears to be a deliberate attempt by INEC to mislead our supporters and undermine our participation,” the statement read.
Additionally, the party claimed that the logo used in the Nasarawa by-election differed from the official symbol INEC used in another by-election held in Enugu State on the same day. Beyond the logo issue, the NDC reported that several polling units experienced malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, further undermining the credibility of the process.
The party also alleged instances of result manipulation and mutilation favoring the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, though no specific evidence was provided. In light of these issues, the NDC declared it does not recognize the election results and will pursue legal avenues to challenge the process. “Given these irregularities, the NDC rejects the conduct of the by-election in Nasarawa North and will explore legal options to protect our democratic rights and the will of our supporters,” the statement added.
The by-election was held to fill the vacant Nasarawa North Senatorial seat following the death of former Senator Godiya Akwashiki. INEC has not yet responded to the allegations.