The Peoples Democratic Party has constituted a special legal team to challenge the outcome of Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, following what it described as widespread irregularities.
The decision comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared candidates of the All Progressives Congress winners in five of the six chairmanship seats contested.
According to the results announced by the commission, the APC secured victories in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Abaji Area Council, Bwari Area Council, Kwali Area Council and Kuje Area Council, while the PDP won in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The polls were conducted to fill six chairmanship and 62 councillorship positions across the FCT.
However, the exercise was characterised by low voter turnout and allegations of vote inducement in some polling units.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP congratulated its successful candidates but insisted that the elections were flawed.
The party announced that its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, would lead the legal challenge and urged aggrieved aspirants to pursue redress within the stipulated timeframe.
The statement particularly hailed the chairman-elect of Gwagwalada, Mohammed Kasim, and councillorship candidates declared winners by INEC, describing the victory as hard-earned despite what it termed intimidation and monetisation of the process.
The party further alleged that security operatives interfered with the process in some areas, claiming that result sheets were seized at certain polling units and that voters were subjected to harassment.
It also linked the low turnout to what it described as growing public distrust in the electoral framework, warning that the development could foreshadow future elections if urgent reforms are not implemented.
In the AMAC contest, INEC declared Christopher Maikalangu of the APC winner after polling 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid ballots cast.
The Returning Officer, Andrew Abue, stated that Maikalangu satisfied the legal requirements and was duly returned elected.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed concern over what he described as a shrinking democratic space in the country.
In a statement released by his media office, the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress attributed the low voter participation in the FCT polls to an atmosphere of intolerance and intimidation.
He noted that turnout figures, reportedly averaging below 20 per cent with AMAC recording less than 10 per cent reflected waning public confidence in the democratic process.
He called on opposition parties and pro-democracy groups to forge a united front ahead of future elections.
Also reacting, a presidential aspirant on the PDP platform, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, described the outcome of the elections as a sign of renewed momentum for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He commended party faithful for what he termed resilience despite internal disagreements and external pressure.