The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has described Saturday’s bye-elections in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states as an opportunity to test its systems and logistics ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the commission would use lessons from the four bye-elections to improve its preparations for the nationwide polls.

Amupitan spoke while monitoring the elections from the commission’s National Situation Room at its headquarters in Abuja on Saturday.

The elections were held in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State, Dawakin Kudu State Constituency of Kano State, Sakwa and Disina State Constituencies of Bauchi State, and Udu State Constituency of Delta State.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, the INEC chairman said every election provided an opportunity for the commission to assess its readiness.

“These four bye-elections provide indispensable operational lessons for the Commission as we systematically chart our roadmap toward the 2027 General Election,” Amupitan said.

He said the commission would use the exercises to assess its logistics, technology and administrative preparations.

According to him, the commission must not treat bye-elections as routine exercises because they provide important lessons that could strengthen future elections.

Amupitan personally monitored reports from the various locations alongside National Commissioners and senior officials of the commission.

He said some operational challenges identified before the elections were addressed promptly.

The INEC chairman said the National Situation Room was also being used to monitor developments and resolve problems that could affect the smooth conduct of the elections.

“We will continue to improve our processes to achieve greater efficiency and build public confidence in future elections,” Amupitan said.

The court of appeal in Abuja has nullified the judgement of the federal high court in Lokoja that ordered the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The appellate court on Friday ruled that the judgement of the lower court on the case was faulty.

In June, a federal high court in Lokoja set aside its earlier judgement which compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register NDC as a political party.

Isah Dashen, the presiding judge, had held that the December 10, 2025, judgement was delivered without hearing all necessary parties, rendering the proceedings constitutionally defective.

The judgement followed an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had a legal interest in the case and should have been joined as a party before the court delivered its ruling.

The judge agreed, holding that the applicant had established sufficient interest to be joined in the proceedings and ruled that the omission rendered the entire process null and void.

In a statement published on his X handle, Seriake Dickson, national leader of the NDC, said the appeal court’s judgement means that the party’s registration “remains valid and subsisting”.

Dickson said the next task is to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.

“We want to use this opportunity once again to commend the Nigerian judiciary, and in particular, Hon. Justice Danjuma and Hon. Justice Hassan, for upholding the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary and, by their decisions, expanding the sphere of multiparty democratic participation in Nigeria,” the statement reads.

“We have said repeatedly that the NDC was set up to expand the frontier of multiparty democracy in Nigeria. Justice Dashen’s judgment a few months ago was an unexpected assault on our constitutional right to participate and an attempt to narrow the democratic space.

“Happily, today, by the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Nigerian democratic space has been protected, and the NDC’s right to participate in all political activities as a registered political party has been upheld.”

The Ogun Youth Vanguard (OYV), a pressure group, has hit back at attempts to question the indigeneship of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, describing the campaign as a desperate political strategy aimed at frustrating the longstanding aspiration of the Yewa people to produce the next governor of Ogun State.

In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday by its Secretary, Abdulhamid Irewole, OYV challenged those questioning Adeola’s roots to produce their evidence before the appropriate judicial or constitutional authorities rather than resorting to what it described as a campaign of calumny through television appearances and social media.

The group alleged that political interests opposed to Adeola’s emergence had deployed individuals to television stations to cast doubts on his ancestry, describing the development as an attempt to “chase shadows” and divert attention from the APC candidate’s record of service.

OYV also took aim at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, alleging that he had been deploying his supporters to propagate what the group described as “false claims” against Adeola.

The group said Adebutu, who is facing prosecution arising from allegations relating to vote-buying and corruption, should allow the courts to determine his case instead of attempting to cast aspersions on the character of another candidate.

“Someone who has allegations of vote-buying and corruption hanging over him should first remove the log in his own eye before pointing accusing fingers at an innocent person. Rather than addressing the serious allegations before the courts, Adebutu appears to believe that he can secure Ogun’s governorship through a dubious campaign strategy. That strategy has failed,” the group said.

OYV insisted that the indigeneship issue was part of a broader political effort to frustrate what it described as the legitimate and longstanding aspiration of the Yewa people to produce the governor of Ogun State.

It alleged that those behind the campaign were attempting to rob Yewa of an opportunity that the zone had pursued for decades, but declared that such efforts would not succeed.

The group also drew attention to the current political configuration of the state, noting that Governor Dapo Abiodun and Adebutu are both from Iperu in Ikenne Local Government Area.

According to OYV, those seeking to perpetuate the existing political arrangement at the expense of other zones are merely attempting to turn the hands of the clock backwards.

“The aspiration of Yewa to produce the governor of Ogun State is sacrosanct. No amount of blackmail, intimidation or politically motivated attacks can erase that aspiration,” the group said.

It further argued that if the present arrangement were to be sustained indefinitely, the implication would be that other zones would have to wait many more years before their turn.

“It is the turn of Yewa, and attempts to deny the people of the zone their longstanding aspiration have failed,” OYV said.

The group challenged anyone with credible evidence capable of disproving Adeola’s claim of Ogun indigeneship to present it before the appropriate authorities, insisting that television appearances and political allegations cannot substitute for due process.

It said Adeola would remain focused on his campaign and urged the electorate to judge all candidates on their records, programmes, experience and commitment to Ogun State.

“Ogun people deserve a campaign based on issues, not distractions. If anyone has evidence capable of disproving Senator Adeola’s indigeneship, let such evidence be presented before the appropriate authority. Otherwise, those behind the campaign should stop chasing shadows and allow the people to focus on the issues that matter,” the group said.