Key Points

• The APC sweep in Niger LG polls reaffirmed the party’s full control.

• The APC sweep in Niger LG polls included 25 chairmen and 271 councillors.

• The APC sweep in Niger LG polls deepened the opposition’s struggle for relevance.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) won a huge victory in the Niger State local government elections, taking all 25 chairmanship positions and most of the councillorship seats.
The Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) officially confirmed the APC’s sweep in the Niger LG polls after elections were held on Saturday in all 25 of the state’s local councils.
Alhaji Aminu Baba, the chairman of the commission, said that the elections were “peaceful, credible, and mostly in line with the will of the people.” He said that the results were put together in a clear way in all local government areas, with strict security in place.

Results Show That APC Controls All Councils

The results show that the APC won all of the local councils, including Bida, Bosso, Kontagora, Lapai, Suleja, Mokwa, Agaie, and Chanchaga. Sayuti Ibrahim Halilu (Agaie), Usman Mohammed (Bida), Mustapha Jibrin (Chanchaga), Lawal Yusuf (Kontagora), and Mohammed Lokogoma (Wushishi) are some of the new chairmen.

The APC candidate got more than 41,000 votes in Bida Local Government, while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got just over 5,000. The APC got more than 60,000 votes in Suleja, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) only got 1,100. In Rijau, Borgu, Shiroro, and Lavun, the APC also won by wide margins, showing that the results were just as clear.

The results of the councillorship showed the same dominance. The APC won 271 of the 274 ward councillorship seats. Only three were left for opposition parties: two for the PDP in Rafi and Tafa and one for the SDP in Paikoro.

Protests by the opposition as analysts look ahead to the 2027 elections

Governor Mohammed Umar Bago congratulated the winners and said that the results showed that his administration’s work and efforts to improve communities were successful. He told the new chairmen to put service delivery, openness, and giving young people more power at the local level at the top of their lists.

Bago said, “This victory is not just for the APC; it is for every Nigerlite who believes in progress and continuity.” “Our people have made their voices heard through the ballot, and now it’s time to get to work.”

However, the PDP and SDP, who are in the opposition, have said they are unhappy because they say there were problems and voters were scared in some councils. Tanko Beji, the PDP State Chairman, asked for an independent review of the results, even though he knew that turnout was low in some rural wards.

Civil society groups, such as the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Niger Democracy Watch, said that even though the process was calm, logistical problems and a lack of competition gave the ruling party a clear advantage.

Political experts say that the APC’s big win in the Niger LG elections strengthens the party’s political machinery before the 2027 general elections. The APC’s power in Niger State is still strong because it controls the state assembly, the executive branch, and all local governments.
As the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission gets ready to give out Certificates of Return to the newly elected chairmen and councillors, people are starting to wonder how the new leaders will deal with the problems of rural communities, such as local development, renewing infrastructure, and keeping people safe.