FCT Polls: PDP Candidate Wins Gwagwalada Chairmanship
Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party has clinched the chairmanship seat in Gwagwalada Area Council during the Federal Capital Territory’s local government elections, outpacing his main challenger from the All Progressives Congress in a contest marked by moderate voter participation and peaceful proceedings.
The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for Gwagwalada, Philip Akpen, announced the results early Sunday, confirming Kasim’s victory with 22,165 votes against Yahaya Shehu of the APC, who garnered 17,788. Akpen described the process as orderly. “I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on February 21, 2026. That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” he stated. Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance placed third with 1,687 votes.
Other parties’ performances included the African Democratic Congress with 1,366 votes, the Social Democratic Party with 432, the New Nigeria Peoples Party with 175, the Young Progressives Party with 158, Accord with 151, the Action Alliance with 116, the Action Democratic Party with 128, and the Allied Peoples Movement with 24. The council recorded 207,577 registered voters and 46,294 accredited, yielding 43,960 valid votes and 1,521 rejected. This translates to a 22.3 percent turnout, notably higher than the FCT’s 2022 average of 9 percent but reflective of Gwagwalada’s historically stronger rural engagement.
The polls spanned six area councils—Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali—contesting 68 positions: six chairmanships, six vice-chairmanships, and 62 councillorships. A total of 1,680,315 voters registered across 2,822 polling units, with 1,587,025 Permanent Voter Cards collected by February 10, achieving a 94.4 percent rate. Gwagwalada, covering 338 units and 207,577 voters, saw INEC deploy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices for all sites, with real-time uploads to the Result Viewing portal for transparency. Eighty-three domestic and five foreign observer groups monitored the exercise.
Security involved 25,000 Nigeria Police Force personnel and 4,000 from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, enforcing a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. movement restriction with exemptions for essentials. Observers reported isolated vote buying in Gwagwalada, with payments from N500 to N3,000, though overall calm prevailed. The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room noted inducements up to N10,000 in nearby AMAC but praised security’s professionalism in handling minor harassments.
Kasim’s campaign emphasized community welfare, women’s empowerment, healthcare improvements, and infrastructure, resonating in a council established in 1984 to drive rural development. Covering 1,043 square kilometers with a 2006 census population of 157,770—projected to grow 6.26 percent annually through 2025—Gwagwalada serves as a Bassa ethnic hub and has benefited from recent FCT Administration projects like the 9-kilometer Paiko-Ibwa road under Minister Nyesom Wike.
Gwagwalada’s electoral history shows party rotations: the All Nigeria Peoples Party claimed it in 2013 amid unconfirmed Abaji results. In 2016, the All Progressives Grand Alliance’s Danze Mustapha Adams won with 15,950 votes over APC’s Abubakar Jibrin Giri’s 14,569. APC took control in 2019 and retained it in 2022 with Jubrin Abubakar polling 11,125 against PDP’s Mohammed Kassim’s 9,597—reversing to PDP in 2026. This shift aligns with FCT’s broader patterns, where PDP dominated four councils in 2013, APC five in 2016 (APGA one), APC three in 2019 (PDP one), and an even split in 2022.
Turnout in Gwagwalada has varied: 18.08 percent in 2022 (highest FCT-wide), up from lower figures in urban councils amid apathy linked to governance perceptions and security. The 2026 rate of 22.3 percent suggests improved mobilization, though overall FCT participation lagged in urban AMAC at 5-11 percent historically. CSOs flagged Gwagwalada as a tension hotspot pre-poll, but reports confirmed smooth conduct.