Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has expressed satisfaction with the structural organisation and conduct of the Nasarawa North Senatorial District by-election. He said it is peaceful and transparent.
The election held across the three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Nasarawa Eggon, Akwanga, and Wamba on Saturday, was organised to fill the legislative seat left vacant following the tragic passing of Senator Godiya Akwashiki.
Governor Sule along side his family, performed their civic responsibility at the Gudi polling unit in Akwanga Local Government Area (LGA) of the zone.
Speaking with journalists shortly after exercising his franchise, Governor Sule expressed immense satisfaction with the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the seamless arrival of electoral materials.
”This is the smoothest it has ever been. As far as I’m concern, from the moment I was captured by BVAS to the point where I actually took my print and then voted, from what you can see, it took maybe a total of just about three to five minutes. So, for me, historically, this is the fastest ever that I have seen,” Sule said.
The Governor further highlighted the exceptional logistics planning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He noted that materials arrived in Gudi as early as 8:00 AM, allowing voters to begin casting their ballots by 8:15 AM.
Addressing observations regarding early morning crowds, Governor Sule explained that while some rural agrarian voters chose to visit their farms first with plans to vote later in the afternoon, general indicators across the senatorial district remained highly positive.
He confirmed receiving reports of “wonderful” and “very good” turnout from key areas, including Akwanga, Andaha, Nunku, Agyaga, Ancho, and Rinze.
When asked if the election serves as a personal political litmus test for himself and his party ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Governor pushed back against the narrative, reframing the vote as a platform for the constituency to appreciate federal and state governance reforms.
” It is an opportunity for the people of Nasarawa State, starting from our by-election here in Nasarawa North, for the people to say thank you to APC. And by the grace of God, we are going to see that ‘thank you’ result”, he said.
Echoing the Governor’s optimism, a top contender for the senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Halilu Envuluanza Aliyu, popularly known among constituents as DHE, described the voter turnout as “very encouraging, very standard, and very impressive.”
Aliyu attributed the turnout of voters to the deep-rooted presence of the ruling party in the region, calling the APC a “standard household name here in Nasarawa.”
Evaluating the performance of the electoral umpire, Aliyu gave high praise to the commission’s strategic planning.
”I thought my heart for INEC for the process that they have put in place, it has been history. Materials were distributed yesterday.This morning they were moved to the unit, that’s the polling unit, and there hasn’t been any complaints so far. So far, I rate INEC 90%. In Nasarawa State, they are doing extremely well,” he said.
Expressing absolute confidence in his own electoral prospects, Aliyu added, “I am going to emerge victorious, Inshallah.” He pointed to a lifetime of humanitarian service across the district’s 35 wards as his primary political scorecard.
”All my life, I’ve been rendering services to humanity, and that speaks volumes. That is why I am the most favored candidate to win this election because we’ve gone round all the 35 wards in the Nasarawa North Senatorial District, and each ward we went to, we had one or two electorates giving testimonies about what I did for them in the past,” he added.
While acknowledging a minor security scare during the morning hours, the candidate reassured the public that the situation was swiftly managed.
“Yeah, we are aware of an incident in Wakama, but it’s under security control,” Aliyu confirmed, adding that separate phone updates from across Nasarawa Eggon, Wamba, and Akwanga LGAs showed that operations were running smoothly and peacefully.
At Polling Unit P018 in Nasarawa Eggon Town, situated within the Alizaga Electoral Ward, the atmosphere was orderly and highly transparent.
Speaking from the venue, APC Chieftain Isiaka Abdullahi lauded the overall conduct of election officials, noting that initial, minor technology glitches were quickly resolved.
”So far, so good. INEC has done good,” Abdullahi said. “All the election officials are all over here. We’re happy, things are in order. Our BVAS is working, before it had some little glitches, and then I was able to successfully cast my vote, and so many other voters around here”, he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that local voters were heavily invested in protecting the integrity of their votes by remaining at the polling stations until the final tally.
”You can see it’s very peaceful. People are happy, people are guarding their votes, ensuring that they elect the person that they want. There’s orderliness, there’s peace, there’s happiness around everybody that they are exercising their civic responsibility.
We are happy that we are part of the process, who are involved in the selection of our leaders who will represent us and be able to bring democratic and political dividends to our people.”
He therefore described the environment as an “ambient of enjoyment,” praising the combined efforts of security agencies, the press, and organisers in creating a safe and transparent voting experience for the people of Nasarawa North.
