The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the elected chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The collation officer for AMAC, Andrew Abue, said that Mr Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected, having scored the highest number of votes cast — 40,295 out of the total number of valid votes of 62,861 in the election.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to Mr Abue, the rejected votes are 2,336 and the total valid votes are 62,861, while the total votes cast are 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

“That Maikalangu of the APC, having certified the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Mr Abue said.

According to him, the scores of the 12 political parties and their candidates that contested the AMAC chairmanship election are:

Agbon Vaniah of the Accord (A) – 403 votes; 

Nemiebika Tamunomiesam of the Action Alliance (AA) – 108 votes; Paul Ogidi of African Democratic Congress (ADC) – 12,109 votes; Richard Elizabeth of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) – 588 votes;

Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – 40,295 votes; Eze Chukwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – 1,111 votes; Chukwu Promise of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) – 122 votes; Ugoh Michael of the Action Peoples Party (APP) – 32 votes; Thomas Happiness of the Boot Party (BP) – 43 votes;

Jibrin Alhassan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – 1,694 votes; Samson Usani of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) – 73 votes;

Dantani Zanda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – 3,398 votes; Iber Shimakaha of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) – 90 votes; Simon Obinna of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – 2,185 votes;

Madaki Robert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) – 421 votes; and Swani Buba of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) – 189 votes.

Speaking in an interview with journalists immediately after the announcement of the results, the APC collation agent, Gambo Babale, described the election and collation process as credible.

“INEC have done so well. We’ve seen the processes across all the polling units, the ward coalition centres and here at AMAC area council coalition centre. Everything was done perfectly well.

“They’ve tried. They’ve done everything humanly possible. I believe this high level of transparency occurred in all the coalition’s exercise that took place in AMAC.

“PDP won about two ward councillors, Karu and Karishi. That is to tell you the level of transparency that happens in this election,” he said.

While congratulating the winner, he said the victory was for Mr Maikalangu to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of AMAC.

Mr Babale said that the results were an indication that the APC was ready for victory in 2027.

The YPP ward collation agent, Abdullahi Ibrahim, also described the collation process as transparent, while congratulating the winner.

The result sheets were signed by the ADC, APC, APGA, YPP and NNPP party agents present at the collation centre.

(NAN)