The Nasarawa North Senatorial District by-election held on Saturday, 20th June 2026, sparked divergent reactions from political figures, with Governor Abdullahi Sule praising the smooth conduct of the election while former Minister of Information Labaran Maku raised serious concerns over technical failures and alleged irregularities. The election, aimed at filling the vacant seat left by the late Godiya Akwashiki, saw voters across the senatorial district casting ballots under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. While some polling units operated without major disruptions, others faced significant challenges, particularly with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.
Governor Sule, who voted at Polling Unit 002 in Gudi Motor Park, commended the efficiency of the electoral process. He described the accreditation and voting experience as the fastest and smoothest he had ever witnessed, noting that his entire process took only three to five minutes. “From BVAS accreditation to casting my ballot, it was seamless,” he told journalists. He emphasized that the by-election was not a personal referendum on his political influence ahead of the 2027 general elections, but rather a chance for the people of Nasarawa North to express gratitude to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. “By the grace of God, we are going to see a ‘thank you’ result,” he added confidently.
In contrast, Labaran Maku, who voted in his Wakama Ward polling unit, reported widespread technical issues with BVAS devices. Although his own accreditation was successful, he alleged that many voters faced long delays as the machines failed to capture fingerprints. “Quite a number of people, the BVAS could not capture their fingerprints and they have been waiting there since morning,” Maku stated. He called for the deployment of facial recognition technology as a backup, pointing out that voters’ photographs are already stored in the electoral register. Similar problems were reported in Wamba Central and Wamba Clinic, where officials struggled to repair malfunctioning machines.
Maku also claimed that some BVAS devices ran out of internet data after processing just a few voters, forcing volunteers to provide data to INEC officials to continue operations. Beyond technical issues, he alleged multiple thumbprinting of ballot papers in areas like Alushi and Wacho, though no official confirmation has been provided. Despite these concerns, he acknowledged that voting remained largely peaceful across many units. However, he warned that tensions often escalate during the collation phase. “It is when results are being collated that people introduce violence when they see they are not winning,” he cautioned, urging security agencies to ensure safe movement and collation of results.
Maku criticized the prevailing “win-at-all-costs” culture in Nigerian politics, arguing that governments should rely on performance and development records rather than manipulation. He stressed that public trust in elections would grow if disputes were resolved based on the substance of complaints, not technicalities. As of press time, INEC had not responded to the allegations, and result collation was ongoing. The outcome of this by-election will be closely watched as an indicator of political sentiment in Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections.
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