APC Wins Five of Six FCT Area Council Chairmanship Seats, PDP Takes Gwagwalada

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of five out of the six chairmanship seats in the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured only one chairmanship position, winning in Gwagwalada Area Council.
INEC announced the results on Sunday, a day after voting concluded on Saturday, February 21, 2026, across the six Area Councils — Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kwali and Kuje.
The elections, which covered chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats, recorded relatively low voter turnout in many polling units. While observers described the process as largely peaceful, there were allegations of voter intimidation and vote buying in some areas.
In Gwagwalada, PDP candidate Mohammed Kasim defeated APC’s Yahaya Shehu, polling 22,165 votes against Shehu’s 17,788 votes. APGA garnered 1,687 votes, while ADC received 1,366 votes. The Returning Officer, Philip Akpen, declared Kasim duly elected, noting that he satisfied the requirements of the law. Total valid votes stood at about 43,960, with 1,521 rejected ballots.
In AMAC, incumbent Christopher Zakka Maikalangu of the APC was re-elected after securing 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes cast. The Collation Officer, Andrew Abue, announced the result, stating that the candidate met all legal requirements. ADC’s Moses Paul came second with 12,109 votes, followed by PDP with 3,398 votes, SDP with 2,185 votes and NNPP with 1,694 votes.
APC also recorded victories in Abaji, Bwari, Kwali and Kuje Area Councils.
In Abaji, Umar Abdullahi Abubakar of the APC polled 15,536 votes to defeat PDP’s 4,547 votes, while ADC secured 37 votes.
In Bwari, APC’s Joshua Ishaku won with 18,466 votes. The Returning Officer, Mohammed Nurudeen, declared him elected after ADC polled 4,254 votes and ZLP scored 3,515 votes.
Kwali Area Council was won by APC’s Nuhu Daniel, who secured 17,032 votes, defeating PDP’s Haruna Pai, who polled 8,575 votes.
In Kuje, APC’s Danjuma Shekwolo Samuel was declared winner with 17,269 votes despite earlier allegations by the PDP that results from two wards were being delayed. The Returning Officer, Prof. Nkiruka Odoh, affirmed that the APC candidate met the constitutional requirements and was duly returned elected.
The outcome underscores the APC’s dominance in the FCT, while the PDP’s victory in Gwagwalada reflects a limited but notable opposition presence.