Claim
An X user, @apro_dawildcat, claimed that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has won all elections in Nigeria since Abdullahi Ganduje became the party’s national chairman.
Verdict
This claim is EXAGGERATED. Checks indicated that APC won four out of five State governorship elections held last year. Also, the APC, under Mr Ganduje’s Chairmanship, was only able to clear all LG council seats in the states that it has serving governors.
FUl Text
Five states have conducted gubernatorial elections since President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, 2023.
This was a result of the off-cycle elections
Off-cycle elections are held outside of the general election timetable. Every four years, Nigeria has Presidential, National Assembly, Gubernatorial, and State House of Assemblies elections at the same time.
In 1999, Nigeria returned to Democracy, and elections were held simultaneously in all states of the federation. Several candidates who were dissatisfied with the outcome petitioned the court to reclaim their mandate.
The electoral petition tribunal requested the dismissal of several governors, and other states with challenged results held re-elections
This is how eight Nigerian states became off-cycle electoral states
Also, the landmark ruling on the Local Government autonomy by Nigeria’s highest court earlier this year mandated compulsory local council elections by every state in Nigeria.
In August 2023, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC),, elected former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party.
Reacting to the latest gubernatorial election victory by APC’s candidate, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Sunday, an X user, @apro_dawildcat, claimed that APC has won all elections under Ganduje as the party’s national chairman.
The X user wrote, “When are we going to give Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje his flowers? APC has been winning every election under him as National Chairman.
Anyone who knows Ganduje well knows he’s a political caterpillar.“
The post on X garnered over 27k views and more than 100 reposts on Sunday.
Verification
Since Mr Ganduje emerged as APC’s national chairman in 2023, five conducted gubernatorial elections. The States are Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, and Ondo.
This Fact Checker discovered that the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) won the Bayelsa Governorship election that was held on November 16, 2023.
The current Bayelsa governor, Douye Diri polled 175,196 to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress, who garnered 110,108 votes. It was under Ganduje’s Chairmanship that APC lost to PDP in the Bayelsa Governorship off-cycle election.
However, the ruling party in Nigeria has won the governorship elections in Edo, Kogi, Ondo, and Imo States held last year.
Also, APC has only cleared the LG council elections in the states it has serving governors. For instance, in Imo, Ebonyi, Cross Rivers, etc.
Conclusion
APC has been able to win four of five States under Mr. Ganduje as its national chairman in the last year. The party has also won LG elections in the States it has serving governors, therefore the claim that APC has won ALL elections under Ganduje as its national chairman is EXAGGERATED.
Credit: FactWatch
