By Our Correspondent

Incumbent Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, has emerged victorious in the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election, clinching the party’s ticket for the 2027 general elections with a commanding margin over his lone challenger, Philip Nto.

The direct primary election, conducted on Monday across the five local government areas and fifty seven wards of Abia North Senatorial District, recorded massive participation by party members and ended in a sweeping victory for the former Senate Chief Whip, who polled 65,651 votes to defeat Philip Nto, who secured 2,103 votes.

The result showed a staggering victory margin of 63,548 votes in favour of Kalu.

Details of the results announced by the Party’s returning officer assigned to the Senatorial district released by the APC Primary Election Committee showed that the exercise covered all 57 wards across the senatorial district.

According to the official figures announced at the collation centre in Umuahia:
Total number of wards: 57
Total number of registered voters: 72,028
Total accredited voters: 69,441
Total votes cast: 67,854
Votes scored by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu: 65,651
Votes scored by Philip Nto: 2,103

The primary election was supervised by designated returning officers who presented their results from across the various local government areas, including Comrade Chisom Eneogwe Christopher for Isuikwuato LGA, Chima Okorie for Ohafia LGA, Hon. Tony Mezie Nwubani for Bende LGA, Enyioma Ekebuike for Umunneochi LGA, while Wilson Chukwuma Eze served at the Arochukwu collation centre.

Announcing the results on Monday in Umuahia, Chairman of the Abia North Senatorial National Assembly Primary Election Committee, Mr. Chinedu Christian Kanu, confirmed that the exercise was successfully conducted across the district in a peaceful, transparent, and credible manner.

He noted that APC members turned out massively to participate in the direct primary process aimed at electing candidates that would fly the party’s flag in the 2027 general elections.

According to him, Senator Kalu secured a landslide victory after polling the overwhelming majority of valid votes cast during the exercise.

Kanu commended party members, stakeholders, and electoral officials for maintaining order and ensuring a smooth conduct of the primaries, stressing that the committee upheld fairness, transparency, and credibility throughout the process.

Kalu’s victory now clears the path for his re-election bid ahead of the February 2027 National Assembly elections.

Since his election into the Senate in 2019, Kalu has remained one of the most prominent lawmakers from the South-East, with his legislative and constituency interventions largely centred on infrastructure development, education, industrialisation, youth empowerment, and regional economic growth.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatization and Chairman of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), the former Abia State governor has also played strategic roles in attracting federal projects and investments to the South-East region.

Across Abia North Senatorial District, Kalu has facilitated the construction and rehabilitation of more than 160 rural roads linking communities in Arochukwu, Ohafia, Isuikwuato, Umunneochi, and Bende Local Government Areas.

The road projects have reportedly improved transportation, expanded access to rural markets, and reduced post-harvest losses for farmers in agrarian communities.

In the area of rural electrification and security, solar-powered street lights have been installed in over 150 communities across the district, boosting commercial activities and improving security in affected areas.

Kalu has also championed industrial and economic initiatives within the zone, including the establishment of cashew processing and tricycle assembly plants in Igbere, creating employment opportunities for youths and local residents.

His office also facilitated investments in renewable energy, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors aimed at stimulating economic activities across the region.

Under his leadership at the South East Development Commission, the commission secured a ₦140 billion budgetary allocation targeted at critical infrastructure, healthcare, and education projects across the South-East geopolitical zone.

Education has also remained a major pillar of his constituency interventions, with the senator facilitating the construction and renovation of schools, classroom blocks, libraries, and science laboratories across Abia North.

Thousands of students have equally benefited from scholarships, bursaries, educational materials, and sponsorship programmes facilitated through initiatives linked to his foundation.

On empowerment, the senator has distributed grants, tricycles, motorcycles, sewing machines, generators, laptops, and agricultural inputs to women, youths, artisans, and farmers across the district as part of efforts aimed at promoting self-reliance and reducing unemployment.

By Our Correspondent

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Kano North Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The affirmation exercise took place at the APC headquarters in Bichi Local Government Area, amid thousands of party members drawn from the 13 local government areas that make up the Kano North Senatorial District.

Also present were officials from the national headquarters of the APC and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At exactly 2:20 p.m., the Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee for the Kano North Senatorial Primary Election, Hon. Shehu Isa Direba, asked party members to affirm Senator Barau as the APC candidate for the district. A thunderous chorus of “Yes” from the crowd followed it.

Similarly, the Chairman of the APC National Assembly Primary Elections Committee for Kano State, Hon. Musa Yahaya, also sought the endorsement of party members, who unanimously affirmed Senator Barau as the party’s candidate for the January 16 National Assembly election.

Speaking after the exercise, the leader of the INEC monitoring team, Mr Abdulrahman Haruna, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful and orderly conduct of the process.

In his remarks, Kano State Governor, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf, commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Murtala Sule Garo, the governor expressed confidence that the people of Kano North would overwhelmingly vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Abba, Senator Barau, and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

“We are happy. Kano North is for APC at all times. We are one family in APC. Insha Allah, before noon on election day, Senator Barau will secure his seat, while President Tinubu and all our candidates will emerge victorious,” he said, while praying for peaceful elections in 2027.

Responding, Senator Barau thanked party members for their confidence in him through their overwhelming support and assured them of continued effective representation.

“Let me begin by thanking Almighty Allah for making my nomination possible. I also wish to appreciate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his leadership of the APC and the nation at large. He is doing extremely well, and we cannot thank him enough.

“I also thank our hardworking Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for the remarkable work he is doing to reposition Kano State. He is working tirelessly to actualise his vision for the state. I hope together with his deputy, Murtala Sule Garo, he will bring tremendous development to our state, Kano,” he said.

Senator Barau urged the people of Kano State to vote all APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.

“Please, let us not waver in our support for Mr President. President Tinubu means well for Northern Nigeria and is doing extremely well for us. We should not be distracted by unnecessary criticisms.

“Let us come out en masse and vote for the APC at all levels. By doing so, we will continue to enjoy the benefits and developmental projects coming from the federal, state, and local governments,” he said.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Ahead of the 2027 general elections,members of the Social Democratic party, SDP have been charged to embark on aggressive and strategic membership drive in order to nurture the party to ensure that the party was not only formidable in the state,but will be poised to contest and produce candidates for the state house of assembly,House of Representatives, Senate and governorship which comes up next year.

Arising from it’s Congress that conducted in a free and Fair where state executive ,local government areas and ward leaders were elected to pilot the affairs of the party in the state for the next four years.

The Bayelsa state Chairman of the Social Democratic party, SDP, Mr Ayawei W. Elson who hails from Odi , Kolokuma Opokuma constituency one, stated while speaking to Newsmen at, Akenpai, the venue of the of the state Congress.

He said the party will also produce it’s presidential candidate who will take over the Aso Rock.” SDP is poised to make the difference in Bayelsa state ,that is one party,with it’s credibility,the party will occupy ,Creek Haven,come 2028″‘

” Our National Chairman is a distinguished and popular leader, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam”

Commenting on Factionalization,he urged the general public to discountence it,say it was a media terminology,which exist in the imagination of the People’s mind.

According to him ” In a family there are bound to be disagreement,in SDP,all these disunity and acrimony,mistrust have been put to rest,today we are one and united indivisible group that are prepared to clinch all the elective posts in the state.” There is no faction in SDP in Bayelsa,after the National convention our members will display their unity and strength,our members should be honest and transparent in the dealings”

Our correspondent reported that the congress was attended by unprecedented tumultuous crowd from all the eight local government areas of Bayelsa state, in an atmosphere of a carnival.