The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has congratulated party supporters and candidates over what he described as successful outings in the February 21 elections conducted in the Federal Capital Territory, Kano and Rivers states.
In a message posted on X on Sunday, Yilwatda said the results reflected the party’s resilience, unity and grassroots appeal. He commended supporters for their conduct during the polls and described the exercise as peaceful.
The APC chairman specifically celebrated the victories of the party’s chairmanship candidates in the FCT, noting successes in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Kuje, Abaji, Bwari and Kwali. He also acknowledged the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in Gwagwalada, stating that the outcome demonstrated the will of the electorate.
In addition to the area council elections, Yilwatda congratulated APC candidates who won seats in state House of Assembly by-elections in Kano and Rivers states. He urged party leaders and stakeholders to remain united and committed to delivering governance in line with the party’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Joshua Ishaku of the APC winner of the Bwari Area Council chairmanship election with 18,466 votes. Christopher Maikalangu was also returned as chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council after polling 40,295 votes.
In Gwagwalada, however, PDP candidate Mohammed Kasim secured victory with 22,165 votes, defeating the APC’s Yahaya Shehu, who garnered 17,788 votes. APC candidates Umar Abdullahi Abubakar and Nuhu Daniel also clinched the chairmanship seats in Abaji and Kwali Area Councils respectively.
Meanwhile, the Supervising Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kuje Area Council, Abubakar Dambo, attributed delays in announcing the chairmanship result to collation challenges in two wards, noting that results from eight of the ten wards had been declared.
President Bola Tinubu also congratulated the winners across the FCT, Kano and Rivers states. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President praised INEC, security agencies and voters for ensuring peaceful polls and urged elected officials to serve with humility and patriotism.
Despite the celebrations, reports indicated low voter turnout in several parts of the FCT, while opposition parties raised concerns about aspects of the electoral process. The PDP has since inaugurated a legal team to pursue election petitions arising from the area council polls.
