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PORT HARCOURT — Senator Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been declared the winner of the Rivers South-East senatorial by-election held on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The declaration was made at the INEC collation centre in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, by the Returning Officer, Professor Rosemary Ogu of the University of Port Harcourt.
Ogu announced that the PDP candidate polled 47,961 votes out of 51,150 valid votes cast across the seven local government areas that make up the senatorial district.
She said the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Osarosaka Ebenezer Erewari, came second with 1,647 votes, while Douglas Fabeke Beeka of the Action Alliance (AA) scored 1,175 votes.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Sam Kinanee Barikpoa, polled 367 votes.
Declaring the result, Ogu stated, “That Nwoku Olaka Johnson of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
The seat became vacant following the death of Senator Barry Barinada Mpigi in February 2026.
It was also gathered that all four candidates in the election are members of a political coalition in Rivers State led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Earlier in the day, the PDP candidate, who voted in Alesa, Eleme Local Government Area, described voter turnout as impressive, saying it reflected public confidence in the electoral process.
He also urged INEC to be cautious in its reliance on technology, citing reported challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which he said could lead to disenfranchisement if not properly managed.
