Last Saturday’s Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Abuja, has seen the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP levelling up with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on the control of the six councils in the territory, with both parties now controlling three councils each.
In the 2019 election, the APC had won four area councils of Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC, Abaji, as well as Gwagwalada and Kwali while the PDP won Bwari and Kuje area councils.
However, in what appeared to a referendum on the performance of the APC administration in the territory, the PDP effectively upstaged the APC to win Abuja’s all important council – AMAC. The council plays host to Nigeria’s seat of power, the Three Arms Zone, and most of the important public and private institutions in the territory.
The PDP went further to retain Bwari and Kuje Area Councils while the APC won Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji. In Kwali, the incumbent chairman (APC) won with a 301 votes difference while in Abaji where the party also won, no return could be made due to the fact that two aspirants are in court laying claim to the ticket of the party.