The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured three of the six chairmanship seats in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, as results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show the party consolidating control in key councils.
So far, the APC has clinched Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari and Kwali, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded a major victory in Gwagwalada. Collation is ongoing in the remaining two area councils.
AMAC: Maikalangu Re-elected
In AMAC, the APC candidate and incumbent chairman, Christopher Maikalangu, polled 40,295 votes to defeat his closest rival from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who garnered 12,109 votes. The PDP candidate trailed with 3,398 votes.
The result reaffirmed Maikalangu’s dominance in the council, widely regarded as one of the most politically strategic in the FCT.
Bwari: APC Extends Lead
In Bwari Area Council, the APC’s Joshua Ishaku emerged victorious with 18,466 votes. The ADC candidate placed second with 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) secured 3,515 votes.
Kwali: APC Defeats PDP
The ruling party also prevailed in Kwali, where its candidate, Daniel Nuhu, scored 17,032 votes to defeat the PDP’s Haruna Pai, who polled 8,575 votes.
PDP Strikes Back in Gwagwalada
In Gwagwalada, however, the PDP delivered a strong counter-performance. Its candidate, Mohammed Kasim, defeated the APC’s Yahaya Shehu after polling 22,165 votes against 17,788 votes secured by the APC candidate.
Other parties recorded modest performances. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) polled 432 votes; the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) secured 175 votes; and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) garnered 158 votes. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1,687 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) recorded 1,366 votes.
Party A received 151 votes, the Action Alliance (AA) polled 116 votes, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) secured 128 votes, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) recorded the lowest tally with 24 votes.
Declaring Kasim winner, INEC Returning Officer Philip Akpen described the election as peaceful and orderly.
The Gwagwalada chairmanship contest had 207,577 registered voters, with 46,294 accredited to vote. At the conclusion of collation, 43,960 votes were declared valid, while 1,521 ballots were rejected.
With three councils already secured and two results still pending, the APC has taken an early lead in the overall contest, while the PDP’s Gwagwalada victory signals a competitive race in Nigeria’s capital territory. The elections were closely watched amid intense rivalry between the two dominant parties, as smaller parties struggled to gain significant ground across most declared councils.
