By Saawua Terzungwe, Abbas Jimoh & Baba Martins
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified strategies to take control of all the area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the next round of elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a notice recently said the FCT election would hold on February 21, 2026.
The electoral body also explained that only eligible voters with valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and whose names appear on the register of voters would be allowed to cast their ballots.
Daily Trust reports that the FCT has six area councils, which comprise the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
Top leaders of the APC involved in decision making processes have confirmed to Daily Trust that the party would sweep the six area councils, stressing that doing so would add value to its chances of retaining power in the 2027 general elections.
Apart from plans to take over the chairmanship and councillorship seats in the FCT, the APC is equally planning to take over the lone senatorial seat in the territory, currently being occupied by Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP).
It has also indicated interest in taking over one of the two House of Representatives seats – Bwari/AMAC Federal Constituency – which is also under the control of the Labour Party. Recall that the APC is already in control of Kuje/Kwali/Abaji/Gwagwalada Federal Constituency.
The PDP has been the dominant party in the FCT, but in the 2023 general elections, there were significant political changes with the Labour Party winning the lone senatorial seat and the Bwari/AMAC Federal Constituency seat respectively.
We’ll break PDP, LP’s dominance – APC
Providing reasons for the party’s resolve to take over the FCT, the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told Daily Trust in a telephone chat yesterday that the PDP has been in control of the FCT for too long.
He also said the resolution is for the APC to take over the territory and deliver dividends of democracy to the people in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ibrahim said, “In fact, our plan is to take over the FCT and more states. We cannot be in charge of the seat of power and not be in control of the six area councils in the FCT.
“Don’t forget, the FCT minister, who is not even a card-carrying member of the APC, has said in his area of jurisdiction, he would work for the success of our great party. So our ambition is to have a grip everywhere, including the FCT.
“We are ready. We have done everything that needs to be done to make us participate in the elections. Candidates have been screened, and the party is going to support them, and we hope to take control of the entire FCT.
“Our ambition is to have a wider winning margin in the election. Moreover, in a state like the FCT, which has been in the control of the PDP for a long time, the APC would want to take over the place for it to deliver dividends of democracy to the people to fulfill the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Winning strategies
The APC is said to have been influencing the defection of key members of the opposition to its fold ahead of the 2026 FCT Councils polls and the 2027 general elections.
Recently, the AMAC Chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, led thousands of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, 12 councillors in the Council, and scores of political allies to the APC ahead of the election.
The defection was marked by a Unity Rally in Abuja, where the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, described the decision as a vote of confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Defections were also reported from other area councils in the FCT during the event, indicating a wider shift in political allegiance. Daily Trust reports that the event signaled a major political realignment ahead of the 2026 FCT polls and the 2027 general elections.
Apart from Ganduje, the event attracted the presence of the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, APC National Working Committee (NWC) members, ministers, special advisers to the President, national and state legislators who are members of the APC, and many other political bigwigs.
At the occasion, Ganduje and Senator Barau said the party would take over all the area councils and deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Impact on 2027
Pundits have argued that the APC’s strategy of allegedly influencing top figures of the opposition to jump ship is to prepare the grounds for its seamless return to power in the 2027 general election.
The party has consistently expressed confidence that it would retain presidential power and win more governorship and National Assembly seats in 2027.
Recall that apart from defections from the opposition parties to the APC within the FCT, there is an influx of notable opposition members nationwide to the APC.
Recently, Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, defected alongside the presidential running mate to Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 poll, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa from the PDP to the APC.
The two top politicians also collapsed the entire PDP structure in Delta into the APC, a development that signaled the party would retain the state and also deliver a significant number of votes to Tinubu for a second term.
Similarly, Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno, had last week defected to the APC with his supporters. Eno, who was elected on the platform of the PDP, officially defected to the APC at a ceremony held on Friday at the Government House in Uyo, the state capital.
Also, all three serving Senators of the PDP in Kebbi State recently defected to the APC. They are Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South).
In Kano State, Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) also defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the APC recently.
Senator Sumaila, who is the Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), announced his defection in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary.
The senator was also received by the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Others who joined the APC alongside Sumaila were Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly; Abdullahi Sani Rogo, former lawmaker; Zubairu Hamza Massu and Abbas Sani, both former commissioners; and Baffa Bichi, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
Speaking during the event, Ganduje expressed confidence that the APC would win the 2027 polls. “I don’t want to reveal our secret, but what I’m telling you is that APC 2027 is a done deal,” he said.
However, the acting national chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, had described the gale of defections to the APC as disappointing.
Observers say the defection of the AMAC chairman to the APC and the party’s plot to take control of the FCT in the 2026 polls are strategies to have a landslide victory in 2027.
APC dreaming – LP, PDP
But reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Obiora Ifoh, told Daily Trust that the APC is “daydreaming.”
Ifoh, in a telephone chat with Daily Trust, said, “It is all politics, they can work hard and try, but they cannot win in FCT. The FCT is for the Labour Party and the Labour Party is for FCT.
“So, we are not perturbed by their boasts. I can tell you that the Labour Party will not only retain where we won, we are going to win in all six area councils in the 2026 FCT elections and also in the 2027 general elections.”
Also, a member of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), Elder Timothy Osadolor, said the APC can’t take control of the FCT, stressing that the territory is a stronghold of the PDP.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust yesterday, Osadolor said the APC has allegedly failed Nigerians and cannot be voted by FCT residents again.
“They are not in tune and in sync with the Nigerian people. So their dream is not realisable. The Nigerian voters have tested A and B, and they know which one is better. If it was possible for the Nigerian voters to quickly terminate the tenure of the APC and bring back PDP, they would have done it long ago.
“The PDP still has a lot of supporters who are more than the majority required to win any election. So I’m very confident the PDP is as solid as ever in the FCT. “
Similarly, the PDP Chairman in the FCT, Alhaji Ismaila Mohammed Yenche, said the APC cannot dislodge the PDP in the next FCT elections.
He added that the PDP would reclaim AMAC in the next election, describing the defection of the Council’s Chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, to the APC as a temporary setback.
In a recent media interview in Abuja, Yenche said the PDP had been working hard to win the next elections, adding that the party would do everything democratically possible not to lose to the APC.
It’s not healthy for democracy – Analyst
Speaking on the issue, a political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, described APC’s move to dislodge opposition parties and take control of the FCT as bad omen for democracy.
He said, “Instead of focusing on governance, APC has embarked on political evangelism two years to the next general elections to win souls for Mr President. This is not healthy for democracy; it’s a distraction.”
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