The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ukalikpe Napoleon, has been declared the winner of the Ahoada East State Constituency bye-election conducted on February 21, 2026, in Rivers State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the result at the close of collation, with the Returning Officer, Prof. Rosemary Ogbo, confirming that the election was duly conducted and contested.

Announcing the final tally, Prof. Ogbo said Ukalikpe polled 3,980 votes to defeat six other candidates. His closest challenger, Godstime Egor of the Action Party of Nigeria (APN), garnered 38 votes, while Ego Marvellous of the Action Alliance (AA) secured 33 votes.

Other results showed Oseja Clifford of the Boot Party (BP) polling 11 votes; Ephraim Raphael Ede of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) scoring 7 votes; Ogide Samson Greatman of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) also recording 7 votes; and Kwodu Saturday Prosper of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) receiving 6 votes.

Prof. Ogbo, while declaring the result, stated that Ukalikpe, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is duly returned elected.

“I, Prof. Rosemary Ogbo, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 Ahoada East State Constituency bye-election held on the 21st day of February 2026. The election was contested and the candidates received the following votes… Ukalikpe Napoleon of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” she announced.

Earlier, Ukalikpe had expressed optimism about his chances after casting his vote at Ogbelle Town, Unit 1, Ward 9, in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Speaking to journalists shortly after voting, the APC flagbearer commended voters for what he described as an encouraging turnout and lauded security operatives for maintaining order across the constituency.

“I am very happy with the turnout. There is security everywhere, and there has so far been no disturbance,” he said, noting that the process at his polling unit was seamless.

Ukalikpe also urged Nigerians to commend President Bola Tinubu and INEC for what he described as an improved electoral process, adding that he experienced no difficulty during accreditation and voting.

“I passed through all the hurdles, saw my name on the system and voted without any problem. Everything went peacefully,” he said, expressing confidence of victory even before the official declaration.

Despite the APC’s sweeping margin, our correspondent’s observations indicated that voter turnout varied across polling units. While Unit 1, Ward 9, recorded noticeable activity, some other areas experienced low participation.

At Ward 10, Units 12 and 5, as well as Ward 8, Unit 9 in Ogbelle Town, turnout was low at the time of monitoring.

The bye-election was held to fill the vacant Ahoada East State Constituency seat, with security presence and electoral officials deployed across the affected wards to ensure a peaceful exercise.

Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke have intercepted a suspected gun runner and recovered 969 rounds of ammunition during an operation in Taraba State.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the Nigerian Army said the arrest was made on February 21, 2026, at Sarkin Kudu in Ibi Local Government Area of the state.

The statement, titled, “Troops intercept suspected gun runner, recover 969 rounds of ammunition in Taraba”, was signed by Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, LieutenantbUmar Muhammad, and dated February 21, 2026.

According to the statement, “In continued efforts to stamp out criminal activities and sustain peace in Taraba State, troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army (NA)/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), on 21 February 2026, successfully intercepted and arrested a suspected gun-runner during a stop-and-search operation at Sarkin Kudu in Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State.”

The Army said the operation followed “actionable and credible intelligence.”

It added that “Vigilant troops on sentry duty flagged down an Audi vehicle with registration number RBC 798 DV (Abuja). Upon a thorough search of the vehicle, one Mr. Monday Reuben, a 48-year-old male from Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was arrested.”

Detailing the items recovered, the statement read, “Two (2) AK-47 rifles; One hundred and ninety-seven (197) empty magazines; One (1) box of 7.62 x 51mm NATO ammunition containing 250 rounds; Fourteen (14) packs of 9mm Parabellum ammunition containing 700 rounds; Nineteen (19) rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition; The sum of Two Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (₦2,440,000); One wallet containing four different identification cards and four ATM cards; One Android phone and one Itel keypad phone; One power bank; Eight (8) bottles of perfume; One rechargeable touch light; Assorted local charms.”

The Army said, “The suspect and all recovered items are currently in custody and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and necessary action.”

The Commander, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, Chukwuemeka Akaliro, commended the troops for their alertness and diligence.

This is as he emphasised that the “Brigade must maintain the tempo as it strives to fulfil the mandate given by the Chief of Army Staff to rid Taraba State of all forms of criminality and threats to lives and property.”

He further stated that “The Brigade will continue to uphold its reward and sanction policy. Officers and soldiers involved in the successful operation will be duly recognised and rewarded for their professionalism and commitment to duty.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has began the upload of results of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council polls on its results viewing portal (IReV).

The area council polls were conducted today, February 21, across the six area councils in the nation’s capital.

Checks show that results from polling units from the area councils have started trickling in, including those for chairmanship and councillorship.

As of 6:28:05 pm, 809 results out 1401, representing 57.74 percent from the Abuja municipal area council (AMAC) have been uploaded on the IReV.

Similarly, some polling units’ results for by-elections in Kano and Rivers states have been uploaded on IReV.

The FCT area council elections are serving as a test-run for INEC ahead of the 2027 general election.

Last Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 (amendment) bill into law.

The passage of the legislation at the senate and house of representatives sparked controversy and numerous talking points, especially the aspect of the real-time electronic transmission of election results.

When the house of representatives passed the Electoral Act in December 2025, it adopted a proposal mandating the real-time transmission of election results to the IReV.

However, when the senate passed the Electoral Act amendment bill in early February 2026, the proposal for real-time electronic transmission of election results was rejected — a move that has sparked protests and calls for lawmakers to reverse the decision.

Owing to the protests, the senate rescinded its decision and approved the electronic transmission of election results to IReV, with a clause that manual collation should serve as a fallback if technology fails.

Due to the differences, the senate and the house of representatives constituted a conference committee to harmonise the versions of the bill passed by both chambers.

The conference committee later adopted the version of the senate, which allows electronic transmission of election results and manual backup.