The All Progressives Congress (APC) has retained control of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) following the declaration of its candidate and incumbent chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, as winner of Saturday’s chairmanship election.
Announcing the results, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Collation Officer for AMAC, Andrew Abue, said Maikalangu polled 40,295 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Paul Moses of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who secured 12,109 votes. A total of 62,861 valid votes were cast in the election.
The AMAC contest formed part of the wider Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, which involved 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units.
Despite the scale of the exercise, voter turnout was generally low in several polling units visited.
At Garki Village Polling Unit 004, the APC candidate recorded a decisive victory, polling 229 votes, while the ADC garnered 15 votes and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured two votes. Of the 2,287 registered voters at the unit, only 252 were accredited.
Across polling centres, some elderly voters expressed concern over prevailing economic hardship and urged elected leaders to prioritise social welfare and empowerment initiatives.
Speaking at Polling Unit 007, City Gate, 68-year-old voter Aramide Kuburat decried what she described as years of neglect, particularly for retirees and elderly women.
“I am tired of the way the country is. I am here to vote because I want them to empower us,” she said, noting that since her retirement in 2014, she had seen little in terms of targeted support in her area.
Kuburat added that economic pressures were also affecting younger generations, citing unemployment among university graduates as a growing concern.
