PDP Wins Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) secured victory in the Rivers South-East Senatorial by-election, with Professor Rosemari Ogu, the PDP candidate and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Port Harcourt, receiving 47,961 votes. The election saw a total of 150,150 valid votes cast across the seven local government areas in the district.

Osarosaka Ebenez Erewari from the All Progressives Congress (APC) came in second with 1,647 votes, while Douglas Fabek Beeka from the Action Alliance (AA) received 1,175 votes, and Labour Party (LP) candidate Sam Kinane Barikpoa garnered 367 votes. The election was necessitated by the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi in February 2026.

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a member of the PDP, expressed satisfaction with the voter turnout, indicating public confidence in the electoral process. However, he urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exercise caution regarding the reliance on technology, citing concerns over the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).