The All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated the weekend’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, winning five of the six chairmanship seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured one in Gwagwalada. The elections, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were also held alongside by-elections in Kano and Rivers states, where the APC recorded victories. President Bola Tinubu and APC leaders hailed the outcome as an endorsement of the administration’s reforms, while opposition figures rejected the results, alleging intimidation and vote buying.
In the FCT, APC candidates won in Abuja Municipal (AMAC), Kuje, Abaji, Bwari and Kwali Area Councils, while the PDP’s Mohammed Kasim clinched Gwagwalada. INEC said the elections were largely peaceful, though voter turnout was low across councils. Results were uploaded to the commission’s IReV portal shortly after voting, with high compliance in result management procedures.
However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the low turnout—reportedly below 20 per cent in many areas as a worrying sign for democracy, blaming what he called a shrinking political space under the Tinubu administration. The PDP also alleged widespread irregularities and announced plans to challenge some results in court. APC officials, including Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, dismissed the allegations, insisting that Nigerians had freely expressed their will.
Civil society organisations, including Yiaga Africa, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), acknowledged that voting was mostly peaceful but raised concerns over logistical lapses, fragile ward-level collation and incidents of intimidation. Yiaga Africa warned that the observed weaknesses, particularly in result collation and security coordination, pose risks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the criticisms, APC leaders, including National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, described the results—especially in Abuja—as a strong vote of confidence in Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The PDP maintained that voter apathy reflected public distrust in the current electoral framework, urging urgent reforms to safeguard democratic integrity before 2027.
