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Lagos East: APC’s Abiru Clinches Victory in Poorly Turnout Election
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured an overwhelming victory in Saturday’s senatorial bye-election in Lagos East district.
The final result of the election was announced Sunday morning at the INEC collation centre by Ademola Oremosun, the INEC Returning Officer and professor at the University of Lagos.
The APC and its candidate, ex-banker Tokunbo Abiru, polled 89,204 votes to win the election. His closest challenger was the Babatunde Gbadamosi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 11,257 votes.
The senatorial seat became vacant following the death of the former occupant, Bayo Oshinowo, earlier this year.
The bye-election was conducted on Saturday in the five local governments in the district: Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Kosofe, Somolu and Ikorodu. The election witnessed low voter turnout and late arrival of election materials in most of the 71 wards, 1,928 polling units and 188 voting points in the district.
Out of the 1,168,790 registered voters in Lagos East Senatorial District announced by INEC, only 104,921 were accredited with 104,405 votes cast. Of the total votes cast, 102,336 were valid votes while 2,069 were rejected votes.
The APC was declared the winner in each of the five local governments in the area.
Below is the final election result:
Epe
APC: 22,213
PDP: 1,826
Ibeju Lekki
APC: 16,336
PDP: 937
Shomolu
APC: 17,728
PDP: 2,067
Ikorodu
APC: 19,204
PDP: 3,766
Kosofe
APC: 13, 723
PDP: 2661
APC: 89,204
PDP: 11,257
Premium Times
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has expressed deep shock and sadness over the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba by terrorists.
This was released through his official X page on Monday.
Criticizing the military hierarchy for failing to provide a clear explanation of the incident, he noted that initial official statements had reportedly denied the circumstances surrounding the general’s death.
He further described the tragedy as “unequivocally a failure of political leadership.”
Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu of prioritizing political battles over his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He called Gen. Musa’s death, along with those of the troops under his command, “one death too many” and warned of the dangers of a resurgent terrorist threat.
He as well urged citizens and military personnel to remain resilient, saying, “Even this season shall pass away.”
In addition, he also directed a pointed message to the President, stating that the security of Nigerians is the government’s foremost responsibility.
“You must live up to it or be humble enough to admit incompetence and either ask for help or resign,” he added.
He suggested that, if he were President, he would order the military to occupy Borno State or any other areas under siege by bandits or armed groups until they are cleared, emphasizing the need to protect those risking their lives for national security.
He extended his condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, the family of the deceased, and all Nigerians, expressing hope that the nation would soon overcome this dark period.
The Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup dream suffered a major blow on Sunday as DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental playoff following a dramatic penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying ended in heartbreaking fashion, marking the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.
The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, sending the high-stakes encounter to penalties.
Nigeria initially went ahead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute, but DR Congo equalised in the 32nd minute through M. Elia.
The tension continued into the penalty shootout.
Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed early chances, while Nwabali denied DR Congo’s first penalty.
Akor Adams kept the Super Eagles alive, but DR Congo struck back through Sadique and later scored the decisive fourth penalty, leaving Nigeria trailing 4–3 in the shootout.
The victory sets up DR Congo for a chance to secure one of the final World Cup tickets to the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Nigeria’s defeat marked the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.
Both teams had earned their places in the final after dramatic semi-finals.
Nigeria had booked their place in the final with a dramatic 4–1 extra-time win over Gabon in Thursday’s semi-final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
DR Congo also advanced with a 1–0 victory over Cameroon at the Al Barid Stadium the same evening.
The Leopards now await their intercontinental playoff opponent, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup, while the Super Eagles’ campaign comes to an agonising end in Rabat.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expelled Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, its suspended National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.
Their expulsion was announced on Saturday at the party’s National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
