APC Wins Nasarawa North Senatorial By-Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially declared Danladi Halilu Envulu-Anza, the candidate representing the All Progressives Congress, as the duly elected senator for the Nasarawa North Senatorial District following a highly competitive weekend legislative by-election.
Key Highlights
- All Progressives Congress candidate Halilu Envulu-Anza secured the Senate seat with 45,362 votes.
- Labour Party’s Labaran Maku finished in second place, capturing 12,931 votes.
- Out of 332,810 registered voters, 80,363 citizens were successfully accredited to vote.
- The legislative election was organized to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant after the passing of Senator Godiya Akwashiki.
The electoral umpire announced the ruling party’s victory after verifying the final tallies from the district.
The Chief Returning Officer, Professor Aminu Ali, presented the verified arithmetic breakdown on Sunday at the compilation center located within the College of Education in Akwanga. Envulu-Anza was returned elected after securing the highest volume of valid ballots.
Professor Ali confirmed that the victorious candidate amassed 45,362 votes to clear his path to the National Assembly.
Official data compiled by the commission showed that the Labour Party flagbearer, Labaran Maku, emerged as the runner-up by pulling 12,931 votes, while David Emmanuel Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party finished third with 11,570 votes.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Mohammed Stephen Alaku, managed to secure 4,244 votes, while Ishaya Duba Dodo of the NDC recorded a total of 1,496 votes.
Concurrently, the New Nigeria Peoples Party candidate, Paul Araneshri, concluded the ballot with 102 votes.
The official declarations bring a conclusion to multiple weeks of aggressive grassroots campaigning across the five local government areas comprising the district. The final results solidify the ruling party’s regional dominance by maintaining control over this legislative seat.
Envulu-Anza will now assume office within the red chamber of the National Assembly.
| Candidate | Party | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Danladi Halilu Envulu-Anza | All Progressives Congress (APC) | 45,362 |
| Labaran Maku | Labour Party (LP) | 12,931 |
| David Emmanuel Ombugadu | Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) | 11,570 |
| Mohammed Stephen Alaku | African Democratic Congress (ADC) | 4,244 |
| Ishaya Duba Dodo | National Democratic Congress (NDC) | 1,496 |
| Paul Araneshri | New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) | 102 |
Historical Context and Turnout Analysis
The special legislative poll recorded 80,363 accredited voters out of a total digital registry of 332,810 individuals enrolled across the zone. The computation yielded 75,705 legitimate votes, whereas 927 ballots were formally invalidated by pooling clerks, setting the total aggregate ballots cast at 76,632. This exercise was necessitated by the untimely passing of Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who previously occupied the federal seat.
FAQs
Who won the Nasarawa North senatorial by-election in 2026?
Danladi Halilu Envulu-Anza of the All Progressives Congress won the election after scoring the highest number of valid votes cast.
How many votes did the winning candidate receive?
The All Progressives Congress candidate secured 45,362 votes to defeat his closest rivals.
What was the total voter turnout recorded for the election?
A total of 80,363 voters were accredited out of 332,810 total registered voters, resulting in 76,632 total votes cast.
Why was this special by-election conducted?
The by-election was organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Godiya Akwashiki.
