The Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mohammed Kasim, has emerged winner of the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election conducted on Saturday in the Federal Capital Territory.
Kasim secured 22,165 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 17,788 votes.
Announcing the result, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Philip Akpen, described the exercise as peaceful and orderly.
During his campaign, Kasim pledged to prioritise community welfare, women’s empowerment, improved healthcare delivery and expanded educational opportunities for children in the council.
INEC conducted elections across the six area councils of the FCT — Gwagwalada, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Kwali and Kuje — covering both chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The victory comes at a time the PDP is grappling with internal divisions at the national level, including leadership disputes and defections of some governors and lawmakers to the APC, as well as the exit of prominent figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the African Democratic Congress.
While the outcome in Gwagwalada may not necessarily reflect the party’s standing nationwide, observers note that it represents a strategic win in a part of the nation’s capital known for its diverse ethnic and religious composition. The result may also suggest that recent high-profile defections to the ruling party have yet to translate into uniform dominance at the grassroots level.
Breakdown Of Results – Gwagwalada Area Council
Registered voters: 207,577
Accredited voters: 46,294
Votes scored by parties:
A – 151
AA – 116
ADC – 1,366
ADP – 128
APC – 17,788
APGA – 1,687
APM – 24
NNPP – 175
PDP – 22,165
SDP – 432
YPP – 158
Total valid votes: 43,960
Rejected votes: 1,521
