The All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Yahaya Usman, have filed a petition challenging the outcome of the February 21, 2026, chairmanship election in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The petition, marked FCT/ACEPT/EP/02/2026, contests the declaration of Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
INEC had announced Kasim as winner with 22,165 votes, defeating Usman, who secured 17,788 votes.
The petitioners are seeking the nullification of the election on grounds of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, corrupt practices, and claims that the declared winner did not secure the majority of lawful votes cast.
According to the petition, the election conducted across 10 wards and 338 polling units was marred by widespread irregularities involving electoral officials.
The APC alleged that results in at least six polling units across Kutunku, Ibwa, Tungan Maje, and Ikwa wards were altered and manipulated to conceal over-voting.
They further claimed that votes were deliberately suppressed in two polling units during collation, particularly affecting the APC’s performance.
The petition also cited 102 polling units where substantial non-compliance with electoral laws allegedly occurred, alongside eight polling units where officials reportedly engaged in result manipulation, including erasures, cancellations, and rewriting of figures.
Additionally, the petitioners accused electoral officials of wrongful voter accreditation in 71 polling units across six wards, alleging that proper procedures were not followed.
They also pointed to incidents of over-voting in 31 polling units, where recorded votes exceeded the number of accredited voters. According to the petition, 1,289 votes for APC and 3,236 votes for PDP in those units should be invalidated.
After deducting the disputed votes, the petitioners argued that the APC would have 16,499 valid votes, while the PDP would have 18,929 votes, leaving a reduced margin of 2,430 votes.
They maintained that the margin of lead is significantly lower than the 21,289 registered voters in the affected polling units, a situation they say justifies cancellation of the election and possibly the conduct of a fresh poll.
The petitioners are therefore urging the tribunal to nullify the results declared by INEC and determine the rightful winner in accordance with the law.
