The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the ruling New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) winner of the Saturday Bagwai/Shanono State Assembly by-election.

Declaring the result at the Bagwai INEC collation centre in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Professor Hassan Adamu Shitu, announced NNPP candidate, Ali Lawal Al-Hassan, the winner for having polled the highest vote count.

According to INEC, Al-Hassan scored 16,198 votes to defeat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ahmed Muhammed, who had 5,347 votes.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Suleiman Muhammad Lawan, came third among the 11 political parties that contested with 159 votes.

NNPP finally claimed the Bagwai/Shanono constituency, a stronghold of APC, after the Saturday hot contest.

The constituency became vacant after the death of a former member of the Assembly and member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hallilu Kundila.