The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Senator Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the Rivers State South-East senatorial by-election held on Saturday, in a result that has further intensified political debate across the state.
Announcing the outcome, Returning Officer Rosemary Ogu stated that Nwogu secured a total of 47,961 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Osarosaka Ebenezer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 1,647 votes. Douglas Beke Fabeke of the Action Alliance (AA) followed with 1,175 votes, while Sam Bariboa of the Labour Party (LP) managed 367 votes.
The by-election, which was conducted across the Rivers South-East senatorial district covering Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Eleme, Tai, Oyigbo, Khana, and Gokana local government areas, had only four parties cleared to contest the June 20 poll: the PDP, APC, LP, and AA.
Nwogu’s victory was decisive and wide in margin, reinforcing the dominance of the PDP in the senatorial district and marking a significant political return for the former federal lawmaker, who has previously served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The election outcome also carries deeper political undertones, as all four participating parties are members of the Rainbow Coalition formed ahead of the 2027 general elections by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, a development that has continued to reshape alliances within Rivers politics.
INEC confirmed that the election was conducted under enhanced security arrangements, though observers noted pockets of logistical delays and voter apathy in some areas of the district.
Senator-elect Olaka Nwogu now succeeds the late Senator Barinada Mpigi, who passed away on February 19, 2026, while still serving in office, leaving a vacancy that triggered the by-election.
The result is already generating reactions across political circles in Rivers State, with supporters of the PDP hailing the outcome as a strong endorsement of the party’s grassroots structure, while opposition voices continue to question the competitiveness of the contest given the wide margin.
With this victory, the PDP further consolidates its influence in Rivers South-East, while political observers say the outcome is likely to reshape calculations ahead of future elections in one of Nigeria’s most politically volatile states.