The much-anticipated Ibadan North Federal Constituency By-Election of 2025 has delivered an early devastating blow to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Hon. Adewale Olatunji Murphy, as he was overwhelmingly rejected at his own polling unit.
At Polling Unit 27, Ward 10, Housing Bodija, Ibadan, where Murphy was expected to showcase his strength and dominance, the reverse became the case as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) snatched victory in a manner that has left APC leaders and faithful deeply embarrassed.
According to the official INEC result sheet, the APC candidate managed to secure only 6 votes, a figure that speaks volumes about his waning influence and acceptance, even among his immediate neighbors and supposed loyalists.
In contrast, the PDP gallantly polled 9 votes, ensuring a decisive victory in the very place Murphy should have been untouchable.
Other parties trailed with insignificant numbers, underscoring the fierce battle between the two dominant forces.
The humiliation was further compounded by the shockingly low turnout for APC in a stronghold they had boasted about prior to the election.
Political analysts argue that if Murphy could not command loyalty within his own polling unit, his fate across the federal constituency might be nothing short of catastrophic.
“This is a clear referendum on the APC and its candidate.
Losing your polling unit is the highest form of disgrace in Nigerian politics.
It shows that even your household and your neighbors don’t believe in you,” a political observer at the scene commented.
Meanwhile, jubilations erupted among PDP supporters in Bodija as they mocked the APC candidate for his humiliating outing.
Some residents described the result as a signal that the people of Ibadan North are tired of empty promises and failed representation, and are ready to embrace the PDP’s tested and trusted leadership once again.
For Murphy and the APC, the result is nothing less than a political obituary written in bold letters, serving as a warning of the heavy defeat that may await them when the collation of results is completed across all polling units in Ibadan North Federal Constituency.
With this early blow, the PDP is already coasting with confidence, while APC struggles to pick up the pieces of its shattered pride.
