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 in Enugu State.
Announcing the result on Sunday in Nsukka, the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Christian Ezeibe of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said Asogwa secured 162,360 votes to emerge victorious.
According to the official results released by INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Nestor Ezeme, came second with 9,299 votes, while Ossai Okwudili of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) finished third with 3,129 votes.
Other candidates recorded the following results: Chika Idoko of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 1,676 votes, Ejike Eze of the Labour Party (LP) secured 1,027 votes, Ugwuanyi Charles of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) garnered 667 votes, while the Booty Party candidate received 416 votes.
Speaking after his declaration, Asogwa expressed gratitude to the people of Enugu North Senatorial District for the confidence reposed in him.
He thanked party members, supporters, community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women groups, security agencies, electoral officials, members of the media, friends, and family members for their contributions to his victory.
The senator-elect also commended Governor Peter Mbah, describing him as a visionary leader whose commitment to the development, unity, and progress of Enugu State contributed significantly to the success of the APC in the election.
However, the outcome of the election was strongly rejected by opposition parties, including the PDP and PRP, which alleged widespread irregularities and violence during the exercise.
Reacting to an incident at Ogwu/Umuodu Polling Unit in Obollo Afor, Udenu Local Government Area, PDP candidate Nestor Ezeme accused APC supporters of engaging in violence and ballot snatching.
Ezeme described the election as a “charade” and a “rape of democracy,” alleging that opposition voters were intimidated and suppressed in several locations across the district. He further claimed that armed thugs disrupted voting at the polling unit, forcing voters to flee before carting away electoral materials.
Similarly, the National Vice Chairman (South-East) of the PRP, Peter Okafor, called on INEC to cancel the election, citing widespread violence, voter intimidation, and electoral misconduct.
Okafor alleged that supporters of the party were attacked during the election, while some polling units reportedly lacked the presence of electoral officials and security personnel.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the PRP Campaign Organisation, Juliet Ugwuja, urged INEC to nullify the exercise, alleging that party agents were chased away from some polling units.
She stated that the party monitored the election across the six local government areas in the senatorial district and would challenge the outcome in court if dissatisfied with the final result.
Reports from parts of the district indicated incidents of violence during the election. A voter identified as Sunday Ofoma was reportedly shot, while another resident, Sunday Ugwuja, allegedly sustained severe injuries after being attacked with an axe in Obukpa, Nsukka Local Government Area.
In a separate development, two journalists, Chinazom Amadi, publisher of Dega Voice Newspaper, and Uche Okwuanyionu of Lion FM, UNN, were reportedly arrested by security operatives while covering the election. Both journalists were later released.
Despite the allegations, APC stakeholders in Udenu and Igbo-Eze North Local Government Areas maintained that the election was peaceful, free, fair, and credible.
They attributed the party’s victory to effective grassroots mobilization and expressed confidence that Asogwa would provide quality representation for the people of Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
APC’s Ikeje Asogwa Wins Enugu North Senatorial By-Election Amid Opposition Protests
