By Polycarp Nwaeke
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe as the winner of the Ahoda East Constituency II bye-election.
The election was held on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Prof. Rosemary Ogbo confirmed that the election was duly conducted, peacefully held, and keenly contested.
According to her, Ukalikpe Napoleon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 3,980 votes, Godstime Egor of the Action Party of Nigeria scored 38 votes, Egor Marvelous of the Action Alliance (AA) garnered 33 votes, Oseja Amezhi Clifford of the Boot Party (BP) got 11 votes, Ephraim Raphael Ede of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and Ogida Samson Greatman of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) scored 7 votes each while Okwodu Saturday Prosper of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) had 6 votes.
He consequently declared Ukalikpe Napoleon winner of the election.
Reports indicate there was low voter turnout during the election, with voter apathy observed in many communities. This affected the bye election.
Stakeholders attributed the low turnout to various factors.
Solomon Bom described the off-cycle nature of the election as a possible contributor to the low participation.
A commissioner in the Local Government Service Commission, Richard Ewor blamed the low turnout on inadequate publicity, especially in rural areas.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government Area Council, Florence Odukusu said people came out to vote, especially in her ward, but may not have known how it was in other wards and units.
Earlier, the winner, Ukalikpe Napoleon (Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe of the APC), had said shortly after casting his vote that the election in the entire Ahoada East was credible. Napoleon, after voting at Ward 9, Unit 1, Obelle Community in Ahoada East Local Government Area, described the election as peaceful and commended the process.
Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe the declared winner of the Ahoada East Constituency II bye-election on Saturday, February 21, 2026, expressed strong satisfaction with the conduct of the election shortly after casting his vote.
Speaking at Ward 9, Unit 1 Obelle Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area, he described the process as peaceful and hitch-free.
He said:
“I just finished voting now. There was no single problem in anything voting. I passed through all the hurdles here, and I saw my name in all the systems, everywhere, and I voted.
By the grace of God, we are going to celebrate. From what I am seeing on the ground here, victory is ours. And I advise everyone: be gentle, kind, and patient.
The government of President Tinubu, INEC, etc., will put everything in order, as I am seeing here now!”
He further commended the voters and security agents for their peaceful conduct during the election.
On the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe stated he was satisfied with its use by INEC.
He added:
“Some people had already voted before I came. Some people are in their own units. This is Unit 1. We have 7 units in my community, and so, a lot of people are in their own units. I voted in Unit one that’s my unit. Look at the people that are here. I called the people that are in charge of the other areas and they confirmed that BVAS are working and voting was in progress.”
The Council Chairman of Ahoda East Local Government Area, Hon. Solomon Alusa Chioma Ochema also commended INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election. He further praised the security agencies for acting professionally throughout the process. The election was widely described as peaceful, with no reported security incidents, smooth BVAS functionality in observed areas, and an overall credible process according to the winner and other stakeholders.
