The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election. The announcement was made by the AMAC Collation Officer, Prof. Andrew Abue, who stated that Maikalangu, the incumbent, secured the highest number of votes with 40,295 out of 62,861 valid votes cast.
The total number of accredited voters was 65,676, from a registered voter base of 837,338 in AMAC. The election recorded 2,336 rejected votes, bringing the total votes cast to 65,197. Maikalangu’s victory was confirmed after he met all statutory requirements.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Paul Ogidi, emerged as the runner-up with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dantani Zanda, came third with 3,398 votes. Other candidates from 12 political parties participated but garnered significantly fewer votes. These included Jibrin Alhassan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) with 1,694 votes, Simon Obinna of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 2,185 votes, and Eze Chukwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with 1,111 votes.
Following the declaration, party agents present at the collation centre signed the result sheets, a gesture noted by observers as indicative of a peaceful conclusion. The APC Collation Agent, Gambo Babale, praised the credibility and transparency of the entire electoral process, from polling units to the final collation. He highlighted that the PDP won in two ward councillorship seats—Karu and Karishi—which he cited as further evidence of the election’s fairness.
TheYoung Progressives Party (YPP) Ward Collation Agent, Abdullahi Ibrahim, also described the collation as transparent and congratulated the winner.
Maikalangu’s re-election secures him another term to lead the municipal council governing Nigeria’s capital territory. The result is viewed as a boost for the APC ahead of future electoral cycles, including the 2025 general elections. The declared winner is expected to focus on delivering democratic dividends to AMAC constituents, while INEC’s management of the poll has been largely acknowledged by participating parties.
