The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated a special legal team to challenge the outcome of Saturday’s Area Council elections held across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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, Bwari, Kwali and Kuje, while the PDP won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship seat.
The elections, conducted to fill six chairmanship and 62 councillorship positions, were marked by widespread voter apathy and allegations of vote-buying in some areas.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP congratulated its successful candidates but alleged irregularities during the exercise and announced the formation of a legal team to contest the results.
The party said the legal team would be led by its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, and urged aggrieved candidates to promptly file petitions.
“We specifically congratulate the chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mohammed Kasim, and councillors declared successful by INEC,” the statement read, adding that the party’s performance came despite what it described as “unprecedented intimidation, high-powered money politics and brazen executive brigandage.”
The PDP further alleged misconduct during the elections, claiming that armed security personnel intimidated voters and interfered with result sheets at some polling units.
The party also linked voter apathy to provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, arguing that public confidence in electoral outcomes had declined.
It warned that the council polls could foreshadow challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections if reforms were not implemented.
In AMAC, APC candidate and incumbent chairman Christopher Maikalangu was declared winner after polling 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes cast. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the PDP secured 3,398 votes.
In Bwari Area Council, Joshua Ishaku of the APC won with 18,466 votes, defeating ADC and Zenith Labour Party candidates who polled 4,254 and 3,515 votes respectively.
READ ALSO: Abuja Councils’ Elections: APC Wins Bwari and AMAC, PDP Secures Gwagwalada
APC’s Umar Abdullahi Abubakar also won the Abaji chairmanship election with 15,535 votes, ahead of the Young Progressives Party candidate who scored 5,357 votes, while the PDP polled 4,547 votes.
In Kwali Area Council, APC candidate Nuhu Daniel secured victory with 17,032 votes, defeating PDP’s Haruna Pai who garnered 8,575 votes.
Similarly, APC’s Danjuma Shekwolo emerged chairman-elect in Kuje Area Council after polling 17,269 votes, narrowly defeating PDP candidate Zakwoyi Danlami who scored 15,824 votes. The All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate finished third with 4,305 votes.
The PDP recorded its only chairmanship victory in Gwagwalada Area Council, where Mohammed Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat APC candidate Yahaya Shehu, who secured 17,788 votes.
INEC disclosed that more than 239,000 voters participated in the elections, representing about 15 per cent of the 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT — an improvement from the 9.4 per cent turnout recorded in the 2022 council polls.
The commission denied allegations that voters were migrated to new polling units, explaining that it only created split polling units in locations with more than 1,250 registered voters to ease congestion.
INEC added that voters were notified through public register displays, text messages and emails prior to the election, while 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) arrested 20 suspects across the FCT for alleged electoral offences, including vote-buying and obstruction of law enforcement officers.
According to the commission, a total of ₦17.2 million was recovered during operations, including ₦13.5 million found in a vehicle parked near a polling unit in Kwali.
President Bola Tinubu congratulated winners of the elections and urged them to serve with humility, describing their mandates as a sacred trust. He also commended INEC, security agencies and voters for the peaceful conduct of the polls.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described the results as an endorsement of the administration’s reform agenda, particularly in the nation’s capital, while noting that the PDP’s victory in Gwagwalada reflected respect for the will of the people.
The FCT Area Council elections were held on February 21, 2026, across the six councils, concluding another cycle of grassroots democratic contests in Nigeria’s capital territory.