FCT polls: PDP, APC win 3 councils each, as opposition alleges INEC ‘under pressure’ over Kwali results

In addition to the three councils, including, Bwari, Kuje and Gwagwalada earlier declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), three more results have now been posted to complete the final results sheet for the elections conducted, Saturday, in the Federal Capital Territory.

In the last three councils of Kwali, Abaji and Abuja Area Municipal (AMAC) declared by INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in the latter, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) took the remaining councils, though the declaration of the APC candidate for the Abaji remains in litigation, according to INEC.

This is also as the Benue State Governor and chairman of the PDP Campaign Council for the FCT elections had earlier alleged that INEC was under pressure to tamper with the results of the Kwali Council poll.

In all, PDP won in three councils while the APC claimed the other three seats. PDP won in AMAC which is the council hosting the seat of power in Aso Rock in the FCT.

The INEC returning officer of the council election in Abaji, Prof Gabriel Mordi, at the commission’s office Sunday, announced that APC scored 7, 289 votes to defeat the candidate of the opposition PDP, Alhaji Yahaya Garba Gawu, who got 4, 062 votes.

In Kwali, INEC declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kwali Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory.

Danladi Chiya of the APC defeated his closest rival, Haruna Pai of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to win the keenly contested election.

The INEC Returning Officer for Kwali Area Council, Wesley Daniel, who made the announcement, said Chiya polled 7,646 votes while Mr Pai garnered 7,345 votes, a difference of 301 votes.

Chiya, the council’s incumbent chairman, will now serve his second term in office.

In the AMAC, the PDP candidate, Christopher Zakka polled 19,302 votes to beat his closest challenger, the APC candidate, Murtala Karshi who bagged 13,249 votes.

INEC’s returning officer, Sani Saka, announced the results on Sunday.

Others earlier announced were for Bwari, Kuje and Gwagwalada councils where the PDP won the first two, while the APC won the last.

Meanwhile, INEC’s declaration of the APC candidate, Danladi Chiya as winner against the PDP’s Haruna Pai, may have gone against the expectation of Governor Samuel Ortom, chairman of the PDP Campaign Council for the FCT elections who had earlier on Sunday, warned INEC not to tamper with the results of Kwali council.

Governor Ortom, in a statement, earlier Sunday, had asked INEC to declare the results without further delay.

Ortom said INEC should not allow itself to be influenced by a serving minister in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and a serving governor from the South East to change the wishes of the people of the FCT.

“The party is in custody of results declared at the polling units and ward levels and as such will not accept anything short of victory for the PDP.

“The results of this election should not be tampered with in any way because we have credible information that a serving minister and one of the APC governors from the South East has been putting undue pressure on INEC with huge sums of money to influence the results of the election in favour of the APC.

“Let it be known to everyone that the PDP will not accept anything less that victory for the party as declared at the polling units where the PDP won with wide margins,” the governor had warned.

It is yet uncertain if the PDP will challenge the result in court.

However, according to INEC’s returning officer in Kwali, Wesley Daniel, the APC candidate, Danladi Chiya polled 7,646 votes to defeat the PDP candidate; Haruna Pai, who got 7,345 votes, to emerge winner.

Similarly, INEC’s returning Officer in the Abaji Council, Prof Gabriel Mordi has said the winner of the election on the platform of the APC will be announced after the determination of the case before the court in Abuja.

An APC chairmanship aspirant in the area, Abubakar Umar Abdullahi, had filed a suit before Supreme court, after an FCT High court and Appeal court has nulified his candidature and declared Alhaji Mohammed Angulu Loko, as the authentic chairmanship candidate of APC for the last April 23, 2021 primaries in the area.

Both the FCT High Court and the Appeal Court had ordered INEC to withdraw Abubakar Umar Abdullahi’s name and replace it with Alhaji Mohammed Angulu Loko, as the APC chairmanship candidate for February, 12 2022 council election in Abaji.

In the same vein, the Chairman-elect, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Zakka, has pledged to work with all the critical stakeholders for the development of the council.

Zakka, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner of Saturday’s AMAC chairmanship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He polled 19,302 votes to defeat Murtala Usman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 13,240 votes.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday shortly after the INEC declaration, Zakka said he would work with every candidate in the election to develop the area.

“I am not that type that will forget them. I will carry everyone along. I am appealing that they should come.

”Whatever policy that they have, we will pool them together and make sure that AMAC is great,” he said.

Zakka commended AMAC residents for participating in the election to give him their mandate.

“People came out from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 pm just to vote for me. I thank everyone. I know there are so many expectations from me and I pray to God to give me the wisdom to lead my people.”

Zakka also condemned reported cases of violence during the poll, saying, ”election is not a do or die affair.

He said two people, he did not specify, died in the process. Elections do not have to go that way, because power comes from God. You do not look for power by killing human beings or importing thugs.

“So, we are unhappy. They should allow people to vote for whom they want.”

He urged security personnel to always do their job diligently wherever they were posted to.

In earlier results released, INEC declared Suleman Sabo of PDP the winner of the Kuje Council Chairmanship Election in the Federal Capital Territory.

In the Kuje poll, the PDP candidate, Sabo, who is also its incumbent chairman will now serve his second term in office, having defeated five other candidates in each of the 10 wards in the area council.

The incumbent chairman gathered a total of 13,301 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sarki Hamidu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who secured 7,694 votes to emerge second.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party (LP) Chairmanship candidate Loveday Ajo secured 79 votes.

The PDP candidate defeated the APC with a total margin of 5,607 votes.

Sule Magaji, the INEC Returning Officer for the Kuje Area Council Election, announced the final results on Sunday morning.

In the Gwagwalada council of the FCT, the candidate of the APC, Jubrin Abubakar, was declared as the Chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council at the Saturday Council elections.

Abubakar, a former chairman of the council, defeated his opponent, Mohammed Kassim of the PDP.

Mr Abubakar polled 11,125 votes and was declared by the INEC Returning Officer, ID Umar as the winner of the keenly contested election.

Kassim of the PDP polled 9,597 votes.

INEC also declared the candidate of the PDP, John Gabaya, as the Chairman-elect of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Gabaya, who was re-elected for a second two-year term, defeated his closest rival, Audi Shekwolo of the ruling APC.

Gabaya polled 13,045 votes, while Shekwolo had 7,697 votes, according to the INEC Returning Officer, Amochi Madu, who announced the result on Sunday morning.

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abubakar Abdullahi, polled 603 votes to come a distant third position.

The FCT elections were held across the 68 wards/constituencies spread across Bwari, Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali and Abuja Municipal Council (AMAC) area councils of the FCT.

The poll was also for 62 councilors.

A total of 473 candidates sponsored by 14 political parties took part in the elections.

Over 1.3 million voters participated in the exercise across 2,229 polling units in the FCT.

INEC had earlier said elections will not hold in 593 polling units as they have no registered voters.

Of the 55 candidates who contested the chairmanship positions, only three are women and only eight females for the vice chairmanship position. Also, there were only 31 females of the total of 363 candidates for councillorship positions.

It would be recalled that during the 2019 elections, APC had won the chairmanship seats in Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and AMAC while the PDP won in Kuje and Bwari.