Voter apathy overshadowed the early stages of Saturday’s by-election for two vacant seats in the Kano State House of Assembly, with electoral officials in several polling units in Ungogo Local Government Area reporting minimal participation despite timely setups and adequate preparations.
At Ungogo Kudu 1A polling unit 028, officials arrived around 8:30 a.m., but by 11:04 a.m., only two voters had cast their ballots out of over 50 registered. The presiding officer, Ahmad Mohammad Bello, confirmed the details, stating that the unit had commenced operations as scheduled. Similarly, at Kera polling unit 003, voting began at 8:30 a.m. with 804 registered voters, yet only 19 had voted by mid-morning, according to presiding officer Sani Kabiru. In Panisau 05 polling unit 008, officials were on site by 8 a.m., but just six out of 332 registered voters had participated by 10:30 a.m., as noted by presiding officer Mercy Aweh.
The Independent National Electoral Commission conducted the polls in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies, which together encompass 1,014 polling units and serve 535,646 registered voters. Kano Municipal has 330,228 registered voters across 630 units, while Ungogo covers 205,418 voters in 384 units. Eighteen candidates from nine political parties contested the seats: Accord (A), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Notably absent from the ballot were major parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC), amid reported controversies over nominations and internal disputes.
The vacancies arose following the deaths of the incumbent lawmakers on the same day, December 24, 2025. Aminu Sa’ad, representing Ungogo, passed away first, followed within an hour by Sarki Aliyu Daneji, who held the Kano Municipal seat. Both were buried the next day, with Governor Abba Yusuf, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and other officials attending the funerals to pay respects. The state assembly mourned the losses, with tributes highlighting Sa’ad’s contributions to education and community development in Ungogo, and Daneji’s focus on urban infrastructure in the municipal area.
INEC deployed Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices across all units and planned real-time result uploads to its viewing portal for transparency. Security measures included heavy deployments by the Nigeria Police Force and other agencies to prevent disruptions, though early reports indicated a peaceful atmosphere despite the thin crowds. The polls served as a litmus test for parties like the APC, bolstered by Governor Yusuf’s recent defection from the NNPP, amid a competitive landscape in the state.
Voter turnout in Kano has historically varied, often reflecting broader national trends of apathy in off-cycle and local elections. In the 2023 gubernatorial election, Kano recorded a turnout of about 45 percent among its 5.92 million registered voters, with Abba Yusuf of the NNPP securing victory amid disputes later resolved by the courts. Previous cycles showed fluctuations: the 2019 polls had around 40 percent participation, while 2015 saw higher engagement at over 50 percent during the APC’s rise under Muhammadu Buhari’s influence. By-elections and supplementary polls, such as those in 2020 for rerun seats, often dipped below 30 percent, attributed to factors like perceived irrelevance of state assembly roles and logistical challenges.
Experts link persistent apathy in Nigerian local elections to issues like bad governance, unfulfilled promises, electoral violence, and lack of trust in institutions. Rigging allegations, ballot snatching, and voter suppression further erode confidence, as seen in studies of Ondo and other states where poor service delivery and imposition of candidates deter participation. In Kano, historical violence during polls, including clashes in 2023 that displaced communities and claimed lives, has heightened fears, leading to messages discouraging turnout unless aligned with dominant parties. Poverty, disillusionment with unresponsive leaders, and intimidation by armed groups exacerbate the problem, resulting in Nigeria’s lowest national turnout in 2023 at 27 percent.
