Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Ikeje Asogwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election held on Saturday, June 20, 2026. The announcement, made in the early hours of Sunday by the Returning Officer, Professor Christian Ezeibe of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, confirmed that Asogwa polled 162,360 votes, a landslide victory that has sparked allegations of widespread violence and voter suppression from opposition parties.
Professor Ezeibe declared the results at the INEC office in Nsukka, stating that the APC candidate satisfied the requirements of the law. Asogwa defeated his closest rival, Dr. Nestor Ezeme of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 9,299 votes. Ossai Elias Okwudili of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) came third with 3,129 votes, while Chika Idoko Emmanuel of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 1,676 votes. Other candidates included Kingsley Aneke of the Boot Party (1,607 votes), Ejike Simon Eze of the Labour Party (1,027 votes), Charles Ugochukwu of the Peoples Redemption Party (667 votes), and candidates from other parties who also participated in the contest.
However, the election results have been overshadowed by conflicting narratives and serious allegations of electoral malpractice. Dr. Nestor Ezeme, the PDP candidate, condemned the election as a "charade" and a "rape of democracy," alleging that the APC and government officials orchestrated widespread violence, voter intimidation, and ballot snatching to suppress opposition votes. He specifically cited an incident at Ogwu/Umuodu polling unit in Obollo Afor, Udenu Local Government Area, where he claimed thugs shot sporadically, dispersed voters, and carted away electoral materials. He also alleged that the attack left his party chairman severely injured.
The PDP candidate further accused local government chairmen, commissioners, and other government officials of moving from polling unit to polling unit to manipulate the process. He also lamented the late arrival of election materials in several key areas, describing it as a calculated attempt to disenfranchise voters. "The delay in the process is alarming. Voting started here at about 11 a.m. In some polling units, there were still no materials as of noon. This is a deliberate and calculated attempt to disenfranchise my people," Ezeme said.
In a counter-narrative, the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) in Enugu State described the election as "largely peaceful" and accused the PDP of deploying forged party agent tags. The coalition reportedly showed reporters several forged tags which it said were recovered from people working for the APC.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) also called on INEC to cancel the election, citing widespread electoral violence and intimidation of voters. Peter Okafor, the National Vice Chairman (South East) of the PRP, expressed shock at the level of thuggery and violence in the election.
The by-election was conducted to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented the district on the platform of the Labour Party until his passing on November 18, 2025. Despite the allegations, the APC candidate, in his acceptance speech, thanked the people of Enugu North for their trust and expressed gratitude to Governor Peter Mbah and the party leadership for their support.
As of the time of this report, INEC had not responded to the allegations of violence and voter suppression. The election outcomes reflect a significant shift in representation in the National Assembly, with the APC gaining control of a seat previously held by the Labour Party.
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