Kindly Pay Attention: If you’re reading on PHOENIX, Please click the “Read Original” button at the top right to view the full article.
The All Progressives Congress recorded a dominant performance in Saturday’s by-elections, securing victories in Ondo, Nasarawa, Kano and Kebbi states, while the Peoples Democratic Party retained the Rivers South-East Senatorial District seat.
The results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday strengthened the APC’s legislative presence across the country, although some of the contests were overshadowed by allegations of electoral irregularities, violence and voter intimidation.
In Nasarawa, APC candidate, Danladi Halilu, defeated Labour Party’s Labaran Maku and the PDP’s Emmanuel Ombugadu to win the Nasarawa North Senatorial seat.
The ruling party clinched the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency by-election in Kano, where Rabiu Shuaibu secured a landslide victory.
Its candidate in the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, Ikeje Asogwa, was declared the winner, while the party also emerged victorious in the Ondo and Kebbi by-elections.
In Rivers State, however, the PDP’s Olaka Nwogu comfortably retained the Rivers South-East Senatorial seat, defeating his closest APC challenger by a wide margin in the election conducted across seven local government areas.
In Nasarawa, Halilu was declared the winner after he secured 45,362 votes.
The Returning Officer, Prof Aminu Ali, announced the final results at the collation centre at College of Education, Akwanga, on Sunday, after votes were collated from Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon and Wamba local government areas.
Declaring the results, Prof Ali said, “Danladi Envulu-anza of the APC scored 45,362 votes, Labaran Maku of the Labour Party scored 12,931 votes, and Emmanuel David Ombugadu of the PDP got 11,570 votes.
“The ADC candidate, Alaku Mohammed Steve, scored 1,496 votes, and John Paul of the NNPP got 102 votes.”
He added, “That Danladi Halilu Envulu-anza of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Meanwhile, agents of the LP at the collation centre staged a walkout in protest over the results and the collation process.
Dr Ben Ango, who led the LP team, walked out alongside other party members shortly after collation for the three LGAs in the district was completed.
Also reacting, Maku rejected the results declared and called for the cancellation of the by-election over alleged widespread irregularities.
Maku, a former minister of Information, speaking during a press briefing in his country home, Wakama, in the Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of the state, lamented the non-adherence to electoral laws by INEC officials, noting that officials of the Nasarawa State government partnered with the electoral umpire to conduct the election.
He said, “I have observed that what took place in the by-election in Nasarawa State was a sham, a complete sham. I consulted with my party. We decided that the best option is to pull out of the by-election and ask INEC to honourably cancel it and conduct a free and fair by-election for the senatorial district.”
The LP senatorial candidate noted that the election did not take place in most places, adding that ballot papers were thumb-printed, while places such as Alizaga, Umme and Alushi wards in Nasarawa Eggon LGA conducted elections without the use of the BVAS machine.
Reacting in a telephone interview, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Augustine Ogaba, dismissed Maku’s allegations, urging him to learn to accept the outcome of electoral processes.
According to him, the minister’s waning popularity in the senatorial zone could not have earned him victory during the by-election, especially because he had not been stable in a political party within the past few months.
Ogaba added, “It is funny for anyone to accuse the APC of any form of irregularity during the by-election because if you put all the results of the opposition parties together, it is not even half of what our candidate scored.
“For the opposition, it is only when they win an election that it is free and fair. If they lose, they will find a reason to complain about the process.
“My advice to the former minister is for him to learn from the process and prepare for another time. He should go back home and do his homework so that he can come out stronger next time instead of complaining for no obvious reason.”
Announcing the final results of the Enugu North by-election in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC office in Enugu, INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof Christian Ezebe, certified that Asogwa polled a total of 162,360 votes to emerge victorious.
Out of the 184,094 accredited voters, Asogwa’s closest rival, Dr Nestor Ezeme of the Peoples Democratic Party, secured 9,299 votes to come a distant second.
Making the official declaration, Prof Ezebe said: “I, Prof Christian Ezebe, hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2026 Enugu North district by-election held on the 20th June 2026. The election was contested. That the candidates received the following votes – Chika Idoke of ADC – 1,676 votes, Asogwa Ikeje Israel of APC – 162,360, Aneke Kingsley Chukwuebuka of BP 416; Eze Ejike Simon of LP: 1,027; Osai Elias Okwudili of NDC 3,129; Ezeme Nestor Chika of PDP – 9,299 and Ugwuanyi Charles Ugochukwu of PRP – 667.
“Arising, therefore, Asogwa Ikeje Israel of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Despite the landslide victory margin, the exercise was heavily marred by reports of severe violence, technical hitches, ballot-box snatching, and coordinated attacks on opposition elements across the six local government areas of the senatorial zone.
A major flashpoint of violence occurred at Umuodo Village Hall in Ogwu Ward, Obollo-Afor, where a PDP polling agent identified simply as Justice was hospitalised after he got severe head and nose injuries.
Rabiu Shuaibu of the APC was declared the winner of the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency by-election in Kano State.
The Returning Officer, Prof Umar Sani of Bayero University, Kano, announced the result following the completion of collation after a peaceful exercise across polling units.
