APM Sweeps Bauchi LG Poll, Wins All 20 Chairmanship Seats

The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has secured a clean sweep in the Bauchi State local government elections, winning all 20 chairmanship positions across the state.

The party also dominated the councillorship contests, taking 319 seats, according to results announced by the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC).

BASIEC Chairperson, Jummai Abubakar, announced the results on Monday night, declaring APM candidates winners of all the chairmanship races.

Four councillorship positions, however, went to candidates from other political parties — the Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Abubakar said the elections were conducted independently and maintained that the declared winners met the necessary legal requirements and secured the highest number of valid votes in their respective constituencies.

Opposition Parties Boycotted Poll

The sweeping victory came after opposition parties in the state announced their decision to boycott the election.

The Coalition of Opposition Parties had declared on Sunday that its members would not participate, alleging that the electoral process was structured to favour the ruling APM.

Despite the boycott, Governor Bala Mohammed said the election was peaceful when he spoke shortly after casting his vote.

The governor also argued that the withdrawal of some political parties would not affect the legitimacy of the exercise.

Bauchi Declares Work-Free Day

Ahead of the election, the Bauchi State Government declared Monday a work-free day across the state.

The measure was intended to give civil servants, local government workers and employees of state and federal institutions, as well as bank workers, an opportunity to participate in the election.

The APM’s dominance in the results means the party will control all 20 local government councils in Bauchi State following the poll.