THE candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Danjuma Samuel Shekwolo has emerged winner of the Kuje Area Council chairmanship election after securing a slim victory over his rivals, according to the final results officially declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC announced that out of 147,271 registered voters, only 39,799 voters were accredited, representing a turnout of about 27 per cent, and indicating relatively low participation in the poll.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) placed third with 4,305 votes, while other political parties got lower votes.
The victory in Kuje is the fifth for the APC, as the party lost only Gwagwalada Area Council to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)
The ICIR reported that the APC chairmanship candidate, Zakka Christopher won in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) with 40,295 votes to defeat his closest rival, Paul Moses, of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who garnered 12,109 votes. In total, 62,861 valid votes were recorded in the contest.
Similarly, Joshua Ishaku of the APC won the Bwari Area Council chairmanship election, as Nuhu Daniel emerged victorious in the Kwali Area Council, while Umar Abdulahi Abubakar of the APC was declared elected as the Abaji Area Council chairman.
As the newly elected council leadership prepares to assume office, many voters said their election promises must quickly translate into visible impact.
The ICIR reported that INEC conducted elections across the six area councils of the FCT, namely Gwagwalada, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Kwali, Kuje, and Bwari on Saturday, February 21.
The newly elected chairmen and councillors who will oversee grassroots administration in the nation’s capital – the closest level of governance to Abuja residents.
The election covered 2,822 polling units across 62 wards, where voters chose leaders for six area councils and 62 councillorship seats.
Breakdown of results in Kuje Area Council as declared by INEC
Number of registered voters: 147,271
Number of accredited voters: 39,799
A: 24
AA: 5
ADC: 716
ADP: 84
APC: 17,269
APGA: 4,305
APM: 58
NNPP: 175
PDP: 15,824
SDP: 25
ZLP: 6
Total valid votes: 38,491
Total rejected votes: 1,097
Total vote cast: 39,588
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
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