The Peoples Democratic Party has inaugurated a special legal team to challenge the outcome of Saturday’s Area Council elections held across the federal capital territory.
According to results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won five of the six chairmanship seats contested in the polls.
The APC secured victories in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji Area Council, Bwari Area Council, Kwali Area Council and Kuje Area Council, while the PDP clinched the chairmanship seat in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The exercise, conducted to fill six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats, was reportedly marked by low voter turnout and allegations of vote-buying.
In a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party congratulated its winning candidates but alleged widespread irregularities. The PDP said its legal team would be headed by its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, Esq., and urged aggrieved candidates to take prompt action.
“We specifically congratulate the chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mohammed Kasim, and the councillors who have been declared successful by INEC.
“This victory, though less in number than we anticipated, is particularly gladdening because it is against the background of unprecedented intimidation, high-powered money politics and brazen executive brigandage,” the statement read.
The party further alleged misconduct during the polls.
“Reports and video evidence abound where armed security personnel were used to cart away result sheets at polling units, intimidate voters and unduly influence the outcome of the elections,” Ememobong said.
The PDP also linked voter apathy to what it described as flaws in the Electoral Act 2026.
“The incredible voter apathy in these polls is a direct response to the anti-people Electoral Act 2026, where the people have completely lost faith in electoral outcomes conducted under this Act.
“These local council polls may just be a foreshadowing of the forthcoming general elections in 2027 if changes are not urgently made,” the party added.
According to INEC results, Christopher Maikalangu of the APC was returned elected in AMAC with 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes cast. In Bwari, APC’s Joshua Ishaku polled 18,466 votes to emerge winner, while in Abaji, Umar Abdullahi Abubakar secured 15,535 votes to clinch victory.
Similarly, in Kwali, APC candidate Nuhu Daniel polled 17,032 votes to defeat the PDP’s Haruna Pai, who scored 8,575 votes. In Kuje, Danjuma Shekwolo of the APC won with 17,269 votes, ahead of PDP’s Zakwoyi Danlami, who garnered 15,824 votes.
The PDP’s sole victory came in Gwagwalada, where Mohammed Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat APC’s Yahaya Shehu, who secured 17,788 votes.
The party’s decision to head to court sets the stage for legal battles over the conduct and outcome of the FCT council elections.
