The All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally challenged the outcome of the February 21 Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election, alleging widespread irregularities and corrupt practices in a petition now before the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
The APC candidate, Yahaya Usman, is contesting the victory of Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was declared winner by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Official results released by INEC show Kasim polling 22,165 votes, defeating Usman who secured 17,788 votes. However, the APC insists the figures do not reflect lawful votes cast.
In the petition filed by a legal team led by Chris Udeoyibo, alongside petitioners Agaptus Obi and Emmanuel Agada, the APC alleges that the election was marred by “non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026” and tainted by “corrupt practices.”
According to tribunal filings, disputes have been raised in no fewer than 110 polling units across Gwagwalada, with over 100 units allegedly affected by significant procedural violations.
Central to the APC’s claims are discrepancies between voter accreditation data and final vote counts, as well as irregularities in the collation process. Witnesses submitted by the petitioners described late arrival of electoral officials, delayed commencement of voting, and inconsistencies between the number of accredited voters and announced results.
One witness deposed that polling did not begin at the scheduled time due to the absence of officials, while another claimed that “the number of votes eventually announced did not reflect the number of voters present.”
The petitioners say they will rely on documentary evidence including result sheets, voter registers, and accreditation reports to substantiate their claims before the tribunal.
Among the reliefs sought, the APC is asking the tribunal to nullify the election entirely on grounds of substantial non-compliance with electoral laws, cancel results in affected polling units, and void Kasim’s declaration as winner.
In a dramatic twist, the petition also seeks to have the tribunal declare Usman as the rightful winner, arguing that he secured the majority of lawful votes.
With proceedings now underway, attention turns to the tribunal, whose verdict could either uphold the PDP’s victory or trigger a political earthquake capable of reshaping leadership in Gwagwalada Area Council.