Ahead of the Saturday, February 22, 2026 FCT area council elections, hopes were high and the energy vibrant when Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, joined the campaign rally for one of their favourites, Dr. Paul Moses, popularly known as Dr. Mo, the chairmanship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Dr. Mo’s strong media presence, billboards, and even branded vehicles told the story of the candidate and his ADC ready to tell a new narrative, different from what was seen in the Anambra governorship election, Niger State local government elections, Rivers, and Lagos, where ADC did not win a single seat while APC won nearly all available seats across the states.
During the campaign rally in Gwarinpa, Atiku Abubakar, alongside leaders of the ADC, including Peter Obi, stated that the council elections would not only test the capacity of electoral managers to deliver free and fair polls but also gauge citizens’ readiness to reject the APC.
The former vice president appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers and defy intimidation, emphasizing that ADC candidates possess the competence, character, and capacity to provide quality leadership at the local level.
During a separate campaign in AMAC, Peter Obi linked the AMAC election to his broader political ambitions and urged voters to back the ADC candidate, describing their support as critical to his political journey and plans ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Nyesom Wike’s Political Game
While the campaigns intensified ahead of the council polls, many political watchers and even the politicians did factor the Nyesom Wike political machinery.
Just three days before the election, two PDP chairmanship candidates from AMAC and Bwari, two of the biggest area councils in Abuja, dropped their pursuit of the chairmanship position to support the APC candidates.
While the PDP chairmanship candidate for AMAC, Hon. Zadna Dantani, stepped down for the APC candidate, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, in less than 24 hours, the PDP chairmanship candidate for Bwari, Julius Adamu, also stepped down in favour of the APC candidate, Joshua Ishaku Musa. They called on their supporters to henceforth support the APC candidates.
What makes this move even more interesting is that both candidates openly claimed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, was instrumental in persuading them to step down.
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They later described the APC candidates as their “brothers,” pledging support, and said the move was aimed at promoting unity within the party and supporting the initiatives of President Bola Tinubu.
Wike’s move was, however, not unexpected, especially after he declared that he would support only candidates who align with President Bola Tinubu’s vision in the February 21 FCT Area Council elections, insisting that opponents of the President would not win.
Wike made the declaration on Saturday night, February 14, in Abuja, at the 60th birthday celebration of Senator Sandy Onor, describing his stance as a duty he owes to the administration he serves.
“I have a responsibility to support any candidate who supports President Tinubu to win… It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who does not support the President does not win. I owe no one an apology for that position.”
The FCT minister said political loyalty to Tinubu’s agenda, rather than party affiliation, would determine his backing in the council elections.
Reacting to the comment in a statement signed by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the comment as irresponsible and dangerous. According to the party, Wike’s remarks were troubling, reminding President Tinubu, the APC, and Wike that Nigerians cannot be bullied or pressured.
FCT Poll Judgement Day.
After the FCT Area Council elections on Saturday, it became clear that what Wike said was not a mere threat but a statement of fact, as APC swept five of the six area council seats in Abuja, with PDP securing one council in Gwagwalada, and ADC none.
ADC’s Dr. Mo, however, came second in AMAC with 12,109 votes, and Josiah Musa came second in Bwari with 4,254 votes.
The newly elected chairmen are:
• Bwari: Joshua Ishaku (APC) – 18,466 votes
• Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC): Chris Garki (APC)
• Gwagwalada: Kasim Mohammed (PDP)
• Kuje: Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo (APC)
• Kwali: Nuhu Daniel Kwali (APC)
• Abaji: Abdullahi Umar Abubakar (APC)
Tinubu Factor: Wike’s Comment After FCT Polls Signals Achievement
Despite being a PDP member, Wike has never hesitated to support the APC, as he has consistently indicated a willingness to do what it takes to ensure the Tinubu Factor succeeds, as seen in the Rivers LGA elections and the joy he expressed afterwards.
Speaking during a special broadcast after the ballot, Wike said the elections exposed politicians who engaged in deceptive campaign tactics.
“This election has indeed shown that Nigerians now know the ruling party and the real opposition party. The election has further exposed the hypocrisy of people who go about buying corn and groundnuts from roadside sellers for the purpose of a campaign just to deceive Nigerians,” he said.
Wike praised FCT residents for rejecting what he called “emergency democrats” who do not acknowledge progress in the country.
“The residents of FCT demonstrated that they cannot be deceived by emergency democrats, who have chosen not to see anything good in our country and its government,” he said.
He further credited the “peaceful” polls to Tinubu’s vision and said, “I thank Mr. President for the development he has brought to the FCT. This election is a reflection of the president’s vision and leadership, and a testimony that the Renewed Hope Agenda has brought optimism and confidence to the people of the FCT.
“No doubt, the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly the residents of the FCT, has not gone unnoticed,” he said.
Reactions from the FCT Council Election.
Wike acknowledged that voter turnout was low, especially in polling units around the city centre, but insisted that the election was generally peaceful.
Wike, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday after monitoring the polls in Garki, Karu Chief’s Palace, Karshi, Kabusa, and Ketti, expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the elections.
He observed that voter participation in the city centre was significantly low, although turnout in several satellite communities was relatively encouraging.
An activist, Omoyele Sowore, linked the low turnout to broader issues of public distrust in the electoral process, arguing that changes in the Electoral Act diminished transparency and undermined confidence in elections.
Speaking at a polling unit in AMAC, Sowore said many Nigerians stayed away from voting because they lacked faith that the process could deliver honest outcomes, a situation he said was predictable given the electoral law changes.
Atiku Decries Low Turnout in FCT Council Elections.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar attributed the low voter turnout recorded in Saturday’s area council elections in the FCT to a political climate marked by intolerance, intimidation, and the systematic weakening of opposition voices.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space.
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die,” he said.
He argued that low participation was not a case of voter apathy but a consequence of governance that undermines pluralism, calling on opposition parties to unite and strengthen collaboration in the interest of national development.
Yiaga Africa, a civil society organisation (CSO), raised concerns over intimidation, logistical delays, and disruptions during ward-level collation of results in Saturday’s FCT area council elections.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Samson Itodo, its executive director, and Cynthia Mbamalu, director of programmes, the CSO said observations were based on data collected from observers in 58 of the 62 ward collation centres across the FCT.
“The 2026 FCT Local Government Elections reaffirm that ward-level collation remains the most vulnerable and most consequential stage of Nigeria’s electoral process,” he said.
Amid Claims of low voter turnout, INEC celebrated as it recorded a voter turnout of 14 percent, an increase from the 9.4 percent recorded during the 2022 polls.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Wilfred Ifogah, INEC’s acting director of voter education and publicity, said the turnout showed a notable improvement compared to the 2022 FCT area council elections.
According to INEC, 1.68 million voters were registered for the 2026 elections, compared to 1.58 million registered voters in 2022, representing an increase of about 100,000 voters or 6.3 percent growth in the voters’ register.
Why ADC Lost AMAC Election- Sambo
According to the Director of News and Political Editor of Arise News, Sumner Sambo, ADC lost the AMAC election because its chairmanship and vice-chairmanship candidates were not indigenous persons.
He said the Abuja Municipal Area Council is the administrative headquarters of the FCT and Nigeria, hosting the seat of the Presidency. As a cosmopolitan area, it contains villages attached to it.
“The ADC did not go to many of these villages to campaign. There are about 49 villages apart from districts, and because the ADC was still emerging, they could not reach these places.”
The ADC’s Chairmanship Flagbearer for AMAC, Dr. Paul, however, maintained that the election did not reflect what he termed the genuine will of AMAC residents.
He said he had carefully reviewed the declared results but remained convinced, based on extensive grassroots engagement and reports from his campaign structure, that his movement earned the people’s mandate.
While acknowledging the official announcement, he strongly condemned the outcome, arguing that it did not align with the mood of voters across the council area.
Dr. Paul cited several alleged irregularities during the election. These, he said, included movement restrictions linked to the imposition of a curfew, intimidation and alleged attacks on ADC members, widespread vote buying across multiple wards, and voter suppression resulting from the late arrival of election materials in key polling units, including Kabusa.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
