APC beats PDP in Rivers LG elections, takes 20 councils

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has declared APC winners in 20 of 23 LGAs, while PDP retained three, including Obio-Akpor and Port Harcourt City.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has released the official results of the local government chairmanship elections held on Saturday, with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) sweeping a majority of the seats across the state.

According to the declaration made on Sunday by the RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Michael Odey, at the commission’s headquarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, the APC emerged victorious in 20 out of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs), while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) managed to secure wins in only three councils.

In a surprising political upset, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s own local government area, Opobo-Nkoro, was claimed by the APC.

Despite the PDP’s dominance in Rivers politics in recent years, the opposition party recorded widespread victories, signaling a major shift in the state’s political landscape.

The PDP, however, retained its stronghold in Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt City (PHALGA), and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA), winning convincingly in those three LGAs. Obio-Akpor, widely regarded as one of the state’s largest voting blocs, delivered an overwhelming 328,823 votes in favour of the PDP’s candidate, Gift Worlu.

In Port Harcourt City, Allwell Ihunda of the PDP secured 235,054 votes, while in ONELGA, Shedrack Ogbogu also held the ground for the party with 51,051 votes.

On the other hand, the APC dominated across most other councils. Some of the most notable wins for the party included Khana LGA, where Bariere Thomas polled 156,027 votes; Andoni, with Lucky Promise securing 126,181 votes; and Emohua, where Chidi Lloyd amassed 114,380 votes.

The APC also recorded significant victories in Etche (100,649 votes), Oyigbo (101,495 votes), and Gokana (96,478 votes), further consolidating its performance.

Other areas captured by the APC include Abua-Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Bonny, Degema, Eleme, Ikwerre, Ogu-Bolo, Okrika, Omuma, Opobo-Nkoro, and Tai LGAs.

Below is a breakdown of the official results as announced by RSIEC:

Abua-Odual – APC (Ofori Owoalabi) – 28,755 votes

Ahoada East – APC (Solomon Achoma) – 54,509 votes

Ahoada West – APC (Eugene Epelle) – 84,125 votes

Akuku-Toru – APC (Bob Fubara) – 63,593 votes

Andoni – APC (Lucky Promise) – 126,181 votes

Asari-Toru – APC (George Onegiyeofori) – 56,383 votes

Bonny – APC (Abinye Blessing Pepple) – 13,543 votes

Degema – APC (Michael John Williams) – 61,536 votes

Eleme – APC (Obarilomate Ollor) – 77,452 votes

Emohua – APC (Chidi Lloyd) – 114,380 votes

Etche – APC (Njoku Boniface) – 100,649 votes

Gokana – APC (Dekor Confidence) – 96,478 votes

Ikwerre – APC (Charles Wobodo) – 62,746 votes

Khana – APC (Bariere Thomas) – 156,027 votes

Obio-Akpor – PDP (Gift Worlu) – 328,823 votes

Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA) – PDP (Shedrack Ogbogu) – 51,051 votes

Ogu-Bolo – APC (Vincent Nemioboka) – 36,374 votes

Okrika – APC (Akuro Tobin) – 32,285 votes

Omuma – APC (Obasi Uchechukwu) – 38,530 votes

Opobo-Nkoro – APC (Jame A. Jame) – 38,822 votes

Oyigbo – APC (Okechukwu Akara) – 101,495 votes

Port Harcourt City (PHALGA) – PDP (Allwell Ihunda) – 235,054 votes

Tai – APC (Mbakpone Okpe) – 70,080 votes

The outcome of the election marks a rare and dramatic reversal in the political fortunes of the PDP in Rivers State, leaving analysts and residents debating its implications for the state’s political future ahead of the next general elections.