The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, with the incumbent chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, declared the winner.
Maikalangu secured 40,295 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Paul Moses of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who polled 12,109 votes. A total of 62,861 valid votes were recorded in the election.
The AMAC poll formed part of the wider Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, which covered more than 1.6 million registered voters across 2,822 polling units. Despite the scale of the exercise, voter turnout was generally low in many areas.
At Garki Village Polling Unit 004, Maikalangu recorded an overwhelming victory, polling 229 votes, while the ADC received 15 votes and the PDP recorded two votes. Out of 2,287 registered voters at the unit, only 252 were accredited.
Across several polling centres, elderly voters voiced dissatisfaction with the country’s economic situation and appealed for leadership that would prioritise their welfare. Many expressed frustration over rising living costs, lack of empowerment programmes, and unemployment among younger people, noting that economic hardship had affected both retirees and families.
Some voters said they participated in the election with hopes that new leadership would address inflation, reduce food prices, and improve living conditions for vulnerable groups, particularly widows and senior citizens.
Although the election process was largely peaceful, voting was briefly disrupted at Lugbe 2, Lugbe Primary School, after security personnel arrested two individuals suspected of attempting to buy votes around midday. The arrest triggered tension as residents challenged the officers and demanded the suspects’ release.
During the incident, one of the suspects resisted arrest and was forcefully taken into a police vehicle. The situation escalated briefly as some voters, including women at the polling centre, attempted to intervene. Calm was later restored, allowing voting to continue.
