FCT Elections: APC Challenges PDP Victory in Gwagwalada

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Yahaya Usman, have approached the election tribunal to contest the results of the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to Radarr News, the election was conducted on February 21, 2026, across 10 wards and 338 polling units. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the winner with 22,165 votes, while Usman received 17,788 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the APC and Usman filed a petition at the tribunal under case number FCT/ACEPT/EP/02/2026, seeking to nullify the PDP candidate’s victory. The petition alleges that the election breached provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, citing corrupt practices and discrepancies that affected the accuracy of the results.
The party claims irregularities occurred in at least six polling units across Kutunku, Ibwa, Tungan Maje, and Ikwa wards, including altered results to match accredited voter counts and conceal over-voting. Instances of tampered result sheets, vote reductions during collation, and rule violations in more than 100 polling units were also highlighted.
Further, the APC pointed out eight units where officials allegedly erased and rewrote results, 71 units with improper voter accreditation, and 31 units showing over-voting. The party calculated that removing disputed votes would leave Usman with 16,499 votes and Kasim with 18,929 votes—a difference smaller than the number of registered voters in the affected areas.
Based on these claims, the APC argues the declared results should be canceled and has requested the tribunal to determine the rightful winner in accordance with the law.