APC and PDP spar over 2026 FCT Area Council elections, where APC won 5 of 6 seats. Spokesmen debate voter turnout, delays, and Wike’s role
APC, PDP Lock Horns Over FCT Election Outcomes: Tinubu Praises, Atiku Warns of ‘Democracy Under Siege’
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are at loggerheads over the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, with the APC hailing a resounding victory and the PDP crying foul over alleged irregularities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared APC winners in five of six chairmanship seats—AMAC, Bwari, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji—while PDP clinched Gwagwalada. The polls, held February 21, 2026, also elected 62 councillors amid reports of low turnout and peaceful voting under the amended Electoral Act.
On Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka framed the results as a clear voter mandate: “The fact is that an election was called and Nigerians who were eligible to vote went out to cast their ballots, and the authority empowered to regulate, conduct and monitor the election did so and declared the results in favour of the APC. The votes were collated and counted, and every requirement was met. The APC won the majority of the councils in the FCT.”
He credited President Bola Tinubu’s leadership: “The APC is the ruling party, and President Bola Tinubu is doing a fantastic job. The economic indicators are strengthening and moving at a pace many did not expect.”
PDP spokesman Ini Ememobong countered sharply, hinting at legal challenges and a unified opposition stance: “This is the first election testing the new Electoral Act, and it reinforces our concerns about voter apathy. In many polling units, you saw only a handful of voters, while in others, no one voted because people believed their votes would not count.”
He flagged collation delays in Kuje: “How could an election that ended in the afternoon only have results available the following day? That clearly shows why real-time electronic transmission is important.”
Ememobong stressed integrity over sour grapes: “We are not sore losers. The contests were largely between the PDP and APC, but many things went wrong, including the movement restriction before the election, which stakeholders said was unnecessary.”
The debate heated up over FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s presence at polling sites, despite his PDP affiliation. Morka defended it: “Mr Wike is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who enjoys the constitutional freedom to participate in democracy, hold opinions and express them. It is about his personal views and actions within the law. We should not overthink it.”
On anti-party allegations: “That question should be directed to the PDP. How they handle their members is within their domain.”
Ememobong fired back: “The minister is not a voter in the FCT, yet he was on parade with a crowd. That alone could compromise the integrity of the election. There are many issues we need to fix.”
President Tinubu congratulated FCT winners alongside those in Rivers and Kano by-elections, praising voter participation.
In stark contrast, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar blasted the polls: warning that democracy is “under siege” and accusing the Tinubu administration of stifling democratic norms. Read More
