APC Wins Every Chairmanship Seat in Yobe LG Poll

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

The All Progressives Congress has won all 17 chairmanship seats in the Yobe State local government council elections held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, with the ruling party also securing 176 of the 178 councillorship seats contested across the state's electoral wards, according to results declared by the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday.

Announcing the results at the commission's headquarters in Damaturu, the YSIEC Executive Chairman, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Yabani, said the elections were successfully conducted across all 178 electoral wards and 17 local government areas, with 10 political parties participating. He said votes were counted and collated at the ward level for councillorship positions and at the respective local government collation centres for chairmanship seats, in accordance with the law. "Our duty here is just to announce what was declared at the collation centres so that we can now declare who are the winners," Yabani said.

In a detailed breakdown of the chairmanship results, Yabani declared Musa Dagona the winner in Bade Local Government Area with 54,312 votes; Lawan Bukar in Bursari with 24,331 votes; Bukar Adamu in Damaturu with 18,465 votes; Abdulmumin Usani in Fika with 61,326 votes; and Baba-Goni Bade in Fune with 74,411 votes. He also declared Mohammed Musa the winner in Geidam with 35,832 votes; Dala Mala in Gujba with 27,900 votes; Dayyabu Ilu in Gulani with 35,999 votes; Umaru Aguya in Jakusko with 47,653 votes; and Umara Mohammed in Karasuwa with 39,320 votes. The remaining winners were Idriss Mai Bukar in Machina with 24,092 votes; Samaila Musa in Nangere with 37,780 votes; Mohammed Malami in Nguru with 45,836 votes; Salisu Muktari in Potiskum with 58,705 votes; Mohammed Musa in Tarmuwa with 19,500 votes; Zanna Zakaria in Yunusari with 35,848 votes; and Adam Jibrin in Yusufari with 31,930 votes.

The councillorship results were not a complete sweep for the APC. The Action Peoples Party won a councillorship seat in Fune Local Government Area, while the Action Democratic Party secured a seat in Karasuwa Local Government Area. "Out of the 178 councillorship seats, the APC won 176 seats, while APP won in Fune and ADP won in Karasuwa," Yabani said. The presence of opposition councillors in the wards, however modest, means that the APC's dominance of the local government system in Yobe State is not entirely monolithic, though the party retains control of every council chairmanship.

The election was conducted across 178 wards on a day that was described by officials and observers as largely peaceful. Yobe State Deputy Governor Idi Barde Gubana, who cast his vote at Polling Unit 008 in Dogon Kuka Ward, Fune Local Government Area, commended the State Independent Electoral Commission for conducting what he described as a peaceful exercise. He expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters in the area, describing it as an indication of citizens' acceptance of democracy. "This is an indication that democracy has come to stay, and is accepted as the best form of government," Gubana said, adding that voter education and sensitisation across the state would be given greater emphasis going forward to foster a more robust democratic process.

The APC State Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, also commended the turnout of voters, describing the atmosphere as peaceful and orderly. Speaking with journalists after casting his ballot at Polling Unit 015, Kokea Community, in Fika Local Government Area, Gadaka expressed satisfaction with the timely distribution and arrival of voting materials at polling units, noting that the development had facilitated the smooth commencement of the electoral process. He urged voters to maintain peace throughout the exercise and respect the electoral process.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council in Yobe State accepted the outcome of the election, with its chairman, Comrade Umar Adamu Jajere, describing the polls as free, fair, credible and successful. In an acceptance speech delivered at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Damaturu, Jajere said the peaceful conduct of the election marked a pivotal moment in the political history of the state. "On behalf of the entire leadership and membership of IPAC, comprising all registered political parties in Yobe State, I proudly declare our acceptance of the outcome. We say unequivocally that the elections were free, fair, credible and very successful," he said. He commended Yabani and his team for what he described as meticulous planning, transparency in the distribution of materials, prompt accreditation and seamless transmission of results. "This outcome is a testament to the fact that our democracy is maturing. The fact that multiple parties secured councillorship seats shows that the electorate are discerning and that no single party has a monopoly over the hearts and minds of our people," Jajere added. He also applauded political parties for their maturity during campaigns and commended security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigerian Army, for their professionalism and neutrality. He expressed appreciation to Governor Mai Mala Buni for providing logistics, security and moral support to the electoral commission and for allowing the will of the people to prevail. "This is the hallmark of a true democrat. You resisted the temptation to interfere and allowed the will of the people to prevail," he said.

Not all parties were satisfied with the process. The Yobe State chapter of the African Democratic Congress had raised concerns in the weeks leading up to the election, accusing the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission of failing to communicate key guidelines and other electoral activities related to the poll. In a formal letter signed by its state chairman, Umar Alhaji, the party demanded clarification on when, how and through which official channel the relevant electoral guidelines, timetable and decisions were communicated to the ADC. The party threatened legal action and other lawful measures if its rights or participation were adversely affected by any communication failure. The statement was copied to the Yobe State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the Government of Yobe State, the Political Adviser to the Governor, the Commissioner of Police, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Director of the Department of State Services in the state. The ADC's concerns did not prevent the election from proceeding, and the party did not secure any of the chairmanship or councillorship seats it contested.

The election process began on April 23, 2025, under Yabani's predecessor, the late Dr Mamman Mohammed, who died before the poll could be conducted. Yabani observed a minute of silence in his honour during the announcement of the results.

The outcome reinforces the APC's long-standing dominance in Yobe State, a pattern that has been consistent since the return to democracy in 1999. The state has been governed by the APC and its predecessor parties for decades, and Governor Mai Mala Buni, who assumed office in 2019 and won re-election in 2023, has consolidated the party's control of the state's political machinery. The local government elections, though conducted by a state electoral commission rather than the Independent National Electoral Commission, are seen as a barometer of the party's organisational strength and grassroots support as the 2027 general elections approach. The APC's ability to win every chairmanship seat and 176 of 178 councillorship seats suggests that the party's structures remain intact and that opposition parties in the state have yet to build the capacity to mount a credible challenge at the local level.

Certificates of return are expected to be distributed to the winners at a later date before their swearing-in, according to the YSIEC chairman. The newly elected chairmen and councillors will assume responsibility for governance at the grassroots, where local government autonomy and the delivery of basic services remain central concerns. The election also comes amid a national debate over local government autonomy following the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment affirming the constitutional rights and financial autonomy of local governments. The newly elected officials in Yobe State will take office at a time when the federal government has emphasised the need for councils to become centres of planning, service delivery and measurable results rather than passive recipients of federal allocations.

For the people of Yobe State, the election represents an opportunity to hold their local governments accountable for the delivery of services that directly affect their daily lives, from healthcare and education to water supply and rural roads. For the APC, the result is a validation of its organisational strength and a foundation on which to build its campaign for the 2027 general elections. For the opposition parties, the outcome is a reminder of the scale of the challenge they face in a state where the ruling party has held power for more than two decades. As Yabani put it, the commission's duty was simply to announce what was declared at the collation centres so that the winners could be declared. The winners have been declared, and the work of governance at the grassroots now begins.

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