The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured a decisive victory in the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, winning five of the six chairmanship seats. This result represents a significant shift in the political landscape of the nation's capital, as the party successfully flipped control of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, and Kuje from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The outcome leaves the opposition with control of only the Gwagwalada Area Council, underscoring the APC's growing dominance in the territory.
In the crucial Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the APC's victory was particularly emphatic. The party polled over 40,000 votes, which was more than triple the tally of its closest challenger. This overwhelming margin in the capital's most populous area council signals strong local support for the ruling party's candidates and its political machinery. Such a decisive win in AMAC is often viewed as a key indicator of political sentiment within the FCT.
However, this local electoral success unfolds against a backdrop of national political tension. Registered political parties in the country, operating under the auspices of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), have issued a serious threat. They have stated they will boycott the 2027 general elections if the National Assembly fails to revisit and amend some sections of the 2026 Electoral Act recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This threat poses a direct challenge to the legitimacy of the upcoming national polls.
The IPAC's position was formalized in a communique signed by its National Chairman, Yusuf M. Dantalle, and National Secretary, Barr. Maxwell Mgbudem. A central demand from the coalition of parties is for the indirect mode of primaries to be restored in the electoral law. This mode, where delegates choose candidates, is contested, with critics arguing it fosters internal party manipulation, while some parties see its removal as a threat to their operational structures.
Amidst this debate on electoral processes, a call for a different political culture has emerged from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The party's National President, Sly Ezeokenwa, stated during a media interaction in Lagos that politics should not be a full-time career. Ezeokenwa emphasized his own balance, noting, 'Even as national chairman, I still go to court because election petitions are part of my professional practice.' This comment highlights the intersection of legal practice and political leadership in Nigeria's often litigious electoral environment.
Simultaneously, sharp criticism of the federal administration is coming from within the opposition ranks. Aisha Yesufu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who chairs the ADC Online Registration Sub-Committee, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what she described as poor governance. Her critique presents a grim assessment of the current national situation from an opposition perspective.
Yesufu's condemnation was stark, as she declared, 'Right now, Nigeria as a whole is a glitch. There is nothing working, whether economically or in terms of security; we don’t have any of that.' This sweeping statement captures a sentiment of frustration that opposition figures are channeling against the Tinubu government, linking governance performance directly to political discontent as the 2027 election cycle begins to take shape.
The confluence of these events paints a complex picture of Nigerian politics as of early 2026. The APC's strong showing in the FCT provides it with local government leverage and momentum. However, the coordinated threat of an election boycott by IPAC, coupled with internal opposition critiques on governance and calls for professionalized politics, suggests significant hurdles ahead for the electoral process. The nation now watches to see if the National Assembly will engage with the demands to amend the 2026 Electoral Act, a decision that could determine the participation of major parties in the 2027 elections.
