The Ganye state constituency by-election in Adamawa State on Saturday was conducted under heavy security, drawing sharp political criticism and widening partisan divides.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) oversaw the poll amid what many residents described as an “overwhelming show of force,” with military convoys, armoured tanks, and armed police officers visible across Ganye Local Government Area.
Adamawa State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Tahir Shehu, strongly condemned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of militarising the democratic process. He claimed that “the ruling APC deployed over 2,000 military officers, including 12 armoured tanks, to Ganye.”
He further argued that the scale of deployment reflected APC’s plans ahead of the next general elections. “The Ganye state constituency by-election is a pointer to what the APC government is preparing to do come 2027. We never knew Nigeria’s government had up to 12 armoured tanks, especially when insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers are terrorising the country, even targeting military officers. Today, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Taiwo Adeleke, is personally heading security in Ganye for an assignment a Divisional Police Officer could handle,” Shehu said.
Despite the massive deployment, Shehu insisted that APC had no chance of winning the poll. “Even if APC relocates the Defence Headquarters to Ganye, they cannot win this election. If the number of military officers and armoured tanks deployed here were sent to Borno State, the issues of Boko Haram, bandits, and kidnappings could be resolved in less than a week,” he asserted.
Countering these allegations, a former deputy governor of Adamawa, Martins Babale, described PDP as a collapsed force. “PDP is dead and buried in Adamawa State. Atiku Abubakar brought PDP here, but with his exit, Nigerians have sought a political alternative that can sustain democracy, and that alternative is APC,” Babale said.
He accused PDP of attempting to mislead voters and maintained that APC was “on a rescue mission” after years of alleged institutional sabotage by the opposition party.
Independent observers monitoring the by-election reported that open vote buying was rampant at multiple polling units, with both major parties implicated. Security personnel, led by AIG Adeleke in a convoy of more than 45 heavily armed vehicles, patrolled the streets to forestall clashes and ensure ballot security.
The by-election followed the death of Abdumalik Jarou, the APC lawmaker who represented the constituency until May 2024.
okay.ng reports that beyond the political tussle, residents expressed concern that the scale of militarisation, if left unchecked, could set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.
