In the tense buildup to the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been thrust into the spotlight less for its campaign promises and more for the startling comments of its local government chairman.
During a recent media interaction, the PDP chairman admitted he had instructed his “media boys” not to criticize outgoing council chairman Abu Giri, despite mounting discontent among residents over what they describe as years of unfulfilled promises and failed leadership.
The chairman went further, responding to accusations made by APC flag bearer Usman Yahaya, who alleged that the PDP was being sponsored by outsiders. “What Usman Yahaya has said is unfortunate… Nobody is sponsoring PDP and we don’t have anybody, only God. Even Nyesom Wike and Philip Aduda, whom he mentioned, are PDP members we hold in high esteem. We cannot allow anybody to castigate them,” the chairman said.
But residents are asking deeper questions: Why is the PDP leadership suddenly shielding Abu Giri from criticism? Could this silence be a calculated move to give the embattled chairman a “safe landing,” especially with talk of an indigenous candidate, Mohammed Kasim, being quietly positioned as the party’s preferred successor?
The puzzle is unsettling. While opposition voices accuse PDP of operating under the shadow of powerful backers beyond Gwagwalada, the chairman’s remarks suggest a deliberate attempt to protect Abu Giri’s image in the public space even as ordinary citizens struggle with the consequences of his administration’s failures.
This unfolding drama reveals the underbelly of Gwagwalada’s political calculations: a ruling party caught between defending its old guard and projecting a fresh candidate, an opposition flag bearer raising uncomfortable questions, and residents left wondering whether the upcoming election is truly about accountability or merely about elite bargains struck behind closed doors.