In a stunning political upset, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has defeated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, during Saturday’s Garki/Babura Federal Constituency bye-election in Jigawa State.
At Polling Unit 001, Kofar Arewa Primary School, Babura, where the Minister personally voted, PDP polled 308 votes, leaving APC trailing far behind with 112 votes. The loss has sparked heated debate across political circles, with many describing it as a major embarrassment for the ruling party.
But APC loyalists are already fighting back, insisting that the Minister’s actual polling unit is PU 002, not PU 001. According to them, APC won there with 188 votes against PDP’s 164. Still, the claim has yet to be independently confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leaving the controversy hanging.
For the PDP, the defeat is being hailed as a symbolic victory against one of APC’s top cabinet members and a clear signal that the opposition is regaining ground in the North-West. Jubilant supporters described the outcome as a “warning shot” to the ruling party ahead of future contests.
Observers say that while it is not unprecedented for top politicians to lose their polling units, the optics of a sitting Defence Minister falling short at home raises questions about APC’s grassroots strength in Jigawa.
INEC is expected to release the official constituency-wide results soon, but for now, the spotlight remains on Babura — where the Defence Minister was upstaged in his own backyard.
Tags
News