Ahead of the 2027 general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strengthened its political foothold in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), clinching five of the six area councils in the February 21, 2026 chairmanship elections.

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured a lone victory in Gwagwalada.

The February 21 polls also revealed a disappointing outing for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a party that had been part of coalition conversations ahead of the 2027 general election.

Despite fielding candidates across the FCT, the ADC failed to secure a single chairmanship seat and generally performed poorly, coming a distant second in AMAC and Bwari but unable to convert support into victory elsewhere

In Bwari Area Council, the APC candidate, Joshua Ishaku, polled 18,466 votes to defeat his closest rivals from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), who scored 4,254 and 3,515 votes respectively.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, declared Ishaku winner, saying, “That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby returned elected.”

The election, conducted across 10 wards including Igu, Shere, Dutse, Ushafa, Byazhin, Kuduru, Kubwa, Usuma, Bwari Central and Kawu, recorded low voter turnout despite smooth conduct in most polling units.

In Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), incumbent chairman and APC candidate, Christopher Maikalangu, was returned elected after polling 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes cast.

The Collation Officer, Prof. Andrew Abue, announced the result, noting that the ADC came second with 12,109 votes while the PDP polled 3,398 votes. AMAC has 837,338 registered voters, with 65,676 accredited for the poll.

For Gwagwalada Area Council, the PDP candidate, Mohammed Kasim, defeated the APC’s Yahaya Shehu, polling 22,165 votes against Shehu’s 17,788 votes.

Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer, declared Kasim winner, adding that Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1,687 votes to place third.

In Kuje Area Council, the APC candidate emerged victorious with 17,269 votes, narrowly defeating the PDP’s 15,824 votes and the ADC’s 716 votes.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Nkeiruka Odoh, commended voters for their patience and described the exercise as peaceful. Out of 175,271 registered voters, 39,799 were accredited for the poll.

For the Kwali Area Council, Daniel Nuhu of the APC won the chairmanship seat with 17,032 votes, defeating the PDP candidate, Haruna Pai, who scored 8,575 votes.

In Abaji Area Council, Umar Abdullahi Abubakar of the APC polled 15,535 votes to defeat his closest rival from the Young Progressives Party (YPP), who secured 5,357 votes.

The PDP trailed with 4,547 votes, followed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) with 53 votes and ADC with 37 votes.

The council elections were largely peaceful, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioning effectively across most polling units.

However, voter turnout remained low in several areas, with residents citing recent relocation of polling units and voter apathy as key factors.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who monitored polling in parts of Garki, Wuse, and Abuja city centre, described the exercise as largely peaceful, commended voters for their orderly conduct, and assured residents that their votes would count.