The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ikeje Asogwa, as the winner of Saturday’s Enugu North Senatorial by-election. Asogwa secured 162,360 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nestor Ezeme of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 9,299 votes.
Background of the By-Election
INEC scheduled the by-election for Enugu North District following the death of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented the district in the Senate. Ezea, a member of the Labour Party, died in November 2025. The election was conducted across the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district.
Official Results Announcement
The Returning Officer for the by-election, Professor Christian Ezeibe of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, announced the final result on Sunday. He stated that Asogwa received the highest number of votes and emerged the winner. “Ikeje Asogwa, having satisfied the requirements of the law in this election, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Ezeibe declared.
Voter Turnout and Registration
The returning officer reported that a total of 727,340 voters were registered for the election in the district, while 184,094 voters were accredited for the exercise. This indicates a voter turnout of approximately 25.3%.
Other Candidates' Performance
The results also showed that Okwudiri Ossai of the Nigeria Democratic Congress came third with 3,129 votes, while Chika Idoko of the African Democratic Party scored 1,676 votes to secure fourth position. The Labour Party did not field a candidate following the death of its incumbent senator.
Acceptance Speech
In his acceptance speech, Asogwa described the outcome as a reflection of the “overwhelming victory” of residents of the six local government areas that make up the district. The senator-elect promised to provide quality and effective representation to justify the massive support and confidence residents had given him.
