THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has constituted a special legal team to challenge the outcome of Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the declaration of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC announced that candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured five of the six chairmanship seats across the councils, winning in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Bwari, Kwali and Kuje.
The PDP clinched victory only in Gwagwalada.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP congratulated its successful candidates but alleged widespread irregularities.
The party disclosed that its legal challenge would be led by the National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, Esq., and urged aggrieved aspirants to act swiftly.
The PDP alleged incidents of intimidation, vote-buying and the misuse of security personnel during the exercise.
It also linked the low voter turnout to what it described as public dissatisfaction with the Electoral Act 2026, warning that the situation could foreshadow the 2027 general elections if reforms are not introduced.
Results released by INEC showed that in AMAC, APC’s Christopher Maikalangu polled 40,295 votes to defeat his closest rivals.
In Bwari, APC candidate Joshua Ishaku emerged victorious with 18,466 votes. Umar Abubakar won in Abaji for the APC with 15,535 votes, while Nuhu Daniel secured Kwali with 17,032 votes.
In Kuje, APC’s Danjuma Shekwolo polled 17,269 votes to win the chairmanship seat.
The PDP’s sole win came in Gwagwalada, where Mohammed Kasim garnered 22,165 votes to defeat the APC candidate.
INEC later confirmed that over 239,000 voters participated in the polls, representing about 15 per cent of the 1.68 million registered voters in the FCT.
The commission denied claims that voters were migrated to new polling units, explaining that it only created split units in areas with more than 1,250 registered voters to ease congestion.
It added that 93 per cent of polling unit results had been uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal as of Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the arrest of 20 suspects over alleged electoral offences, including vote-buying and obstruction of officers.
The anti-graft agency said it recovered N17.2 million during operations across the FCT, with one suspect found in possession of N13.5 million near a polling unit in Kwali.
Reacting to the results, Bola Tinubu congratulated the winners in the FCT as well as those elected in by-elections in Kano and Rivers states.
He commended INEC, security agencies and voters for the peaceful conduct of the exercise, urging elected officials to treat their mandates as a sacred trust.
APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, described the outcome as an endorsement of the President’s reform agenda, particularly in the nation’s capital.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike also lauded the peaceful conduct of the polls, stating that the results clarified the political landscape and reflected residents’ confidence in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed concern over what he termed a shrinking democratic space, citing low voter turnout as evidence of declining public trust in the electoral process.
He called on opposition forces to unite in defence of democracy.
Similarly, PDP chieftain Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim described the outcome as a sign of the party’s resurgence ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the PDP remains strong despite internal challenges.
