BREAKING: PDP’s Kasim wins Gwagwalada Chairmanship election

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammed Kasim, has emerged winner of the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election conducted across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Kasim secured 22,165 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Declaring the result, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Philip Akpen, described the exercise as peaceful and smooth.

INEC conducted the council 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.

Election Breakdown – Gwagwalada Area Council

Registered Voters: 207,577

Accredited Voters: 46,294

Votes by Party:

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

Kasim’s campaign focused on community welfare, women’s empowerment, improved healthcare delivery and expanded educational opportunities for children.

The victory comes at a challenging period for the PDP nationally, amid internal leadership disputes and defections of key figures and elected officials to rival parties, including the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

While local government outcomes may not directly reflect national political strength, the result is viewed as significant for the PDP in a diverse and politically strategic part of the nation’s capital. It may also suggest that recent high-profile defections to the ruling party have yet to fully reshape grassroots political dynamics in some local communities.