APC by-elections victory
ABUJA — The All Progressives Congress has tightened its grip on Nigeria’s legislative map after winning five of the six by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday, June 20, 2026, across Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Kano, Kebbi and Rivers states.
The APC by-elections victory gave the ruling party a commanding showing in three senatorial districts, one federal constituency and one state constituency. The Peoples Democratic Party, however, held its ground in Rivers State, where it retained the Rivers South-East Senatorial District seat.
The results declared by INEC showed a clear political pattern. APC won in Enugu North, Nasarawa North, Ondo South, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State and Zuru State Constituency in Kebbi State. PDP won the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, giving the opposition party its only victory in the exercise.
In simple political arithmetic, six seats were contested. APC won five. PDP won one. That means the ruling party took 83.3 per cent of the seats, while PDP took 16.7 per cent. For a mid-cycle electoral test, the APC by-elections victory sends a strong message about the party’s organisational reach across different regions of the country.
In Enugu State, APC candidate Asogwa Ikeje Israel won the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election with 162,360 votes. The result was one of the most striking outcomes of the exercise, given the political history of the South-East and the usual strength of opposition parties in the zone. The victory also marks a major breakthrough for APC in Enugu North and gives the ruling party another seat in the Senate.
In Nasarawa State, Danladi Envulu-Anza of the APC won the Nasarawa North Senatorial District seat after polling 45,362 votes. His closest challengers were Labaran Maku of the Labour Party, who scored 12,931 votes, and David Ombugadu of the PDP, who secured 11,570 votes. The seat became vacant following the death of Senator Godiya Akwashiki.
The APC by-elections victory in Nasarawa was politically significant because the contest featured strong opposition names. Yet the ruling party maintained a wide lead, showing that its structure in the district remained effective despite complaints raised by some opposition actors during the process.
In Ondo State, APC’s Dayo Faduyile won the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election with 68,474 votes. The seat became vacant after Jimoh Ibrahim was appointed Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Faduyile defeated Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied Peoples Movement, who polled 1,411 votes, while candidates of the Action People’s Party and Boot Party scored 213 and 70 votes respectively.
The Ondo South result reinforced APC’s dominance in the state and added to the wider APC by-elections victory recorded across the country. The election covered six local government areas in the district, including Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.
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In Kano State, APC candidate Rabiu Shuaibu won the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency by-election with 35,356 votes. Lawan Garba Haruna of the APM scored 268 votes, while Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad of the Labour Party received 98 votes. The seat became vacant following the death of Muhammad Danjuma-Hassan of the NNPP.
The Kano result was another clear example of the APC by-elections victory, with Shuaibu winning by a wide margin. The scale of the margin also reflected the absence of some major opposition forces on the ballot and the continued strength of APC’s local political machinery in the area.
In Kebbi State, APC’s Rabiu Aiki won the Zuru State Constituency by-election with 4,871 votes, defeating Aliyu Muhammad of the Labour Party, who scored 168 votes. According to the figures released for the poll, 109,385 voters were registered, 5,156 were accredited, 5,055 votes were valid, 95 votes were rejected, and total votes cast stood at 5,150.
Although the Kebbi contest was a state assembly election, it completed the APC by-elections victory across five of the six seats. It also showed that the ruling party’s performance was not limited to National Assembly contests alone.
Rivers State produced the only PDP victory of the exercise. Olaka Nwogu of the PDP won the Rivers South-East Senatorial District by-election with 47,961 votes. APC’s Osarosaka Ebenezer Erewari came a distant second with 1,647 votes. Douglas Fabeke of the Action Alliance scored 1,175 votes, while Labour Party’s Sam Bariboa secured 367 votes.
The Rivers result confirmed PDP’s continued strength in parts of the state, despite APC’s strong showing elsewhere. It also prevented a complete APC clean sweep and gave the opposition party a major talking point after the by-elections.
For INEC, the by-elections were conducted to fill vacancies created by deaths and appointments affecting representation in the Senate, House of Representatives and a state House of Assembly. Four senatorial districts were involved: Enugu North, Nasarawa North, Ondo South and Rivers South-East. One federal constituency election took place in Dawakin Kudu/Warawa, Kano, while one state assembly election was held in Zuru, Kebbi.
Politically, the APC by-elections victory strengthens the ruling party’s legislative presence and gives it momentum ahead of future electoral contests. The results also offer a useful reading of party structures at the grassroots level, especially in states where opposition parties had hoped to make stronger statements.
Still, by-elections are not the same as general elections. Turnout is usually lower, local issues matter more, and party mobilisation often determines the outcome. But even with those limitations, the APC by-elections victory will be seen within the party as evidence of expanding reach and improved coordination.
For PDP, the Rivers victory is important but narrow in national meaning. It shows that the party can still defend strongholds, but the wider result exposes the challenge it faces in converting local influence into broader national momentum.
The final picture is clear. APC won five of six seats. PDP won one. INEC has declared the winners. The ruling party has gained fresh legislative advantage, while the opposition has been left with Rivers as its only comfort from the June 20 by-elections.
For Ogele News, the most accurate summary is this: APC dominated the by-elections across Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Kano and Kebbi, while PDP retained Rivers South-East in a contest that has again underlined the ruling party’s current electoral strength.
