The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has secured the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship seat in Sunday’s local government elections held across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), delivering the embattled party a timely morale boost amid its deepening national crisis.
The PDP’s Mohammed Kasim emerged victorious with 22,165 votes, comfortably outpacing his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Yahaya Shehu, who garnered 17,788 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Philip Akpen, declared Kasim winner and described the exercise as peaceful and orderly.
Kasim had campaigned on a platform centered on community welfare, women’s empowerment, improved healthcare delivery, and expanded educational opportunities for children.
INEC conducted Saturday’s elections across all six FCT council areas — Gwagwalada, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Kwali, and Kuje — covering both chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The victory carries particular significance given the PDP’s turbulent state at the national level. The party has been rocked by internal divisions, a fractured national leadership, and a steady exodus of governors, lawmakers, and high-profile figures — including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — many of them crossing to the APC.
While a single local election result cannot be read as a reliable gauge of the PDP’s national standing, analysts may interpret the outcome as a sign that the APC’s momentum from recent high-profile defections has not yet translated into grassroots dominance in many parts of the country.
Full Gwagwalada Area Council Chairmanship Result Breakdown:
Registered voters: 207,577 | Accredited voters: 46,294 | Total valid votes: 43,960 | Rejected votes: 1,521
PDP — 22,165 | APC — 17,788 | APGA — 1,687 | ADC — 1,366 | SDP — 432 | NNPP — 175 | YPP — 158 | A — 151 | AA — 116 | ADP — 128 | APM — 24
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