FCT Polls: Crisis Rocks APC Over Alleged Plan To Drop Chairmanship Candidate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been reportedly thrown into crisis over alleged plan to remove Hon. Joshua Ishaku as the party’s chairmanship candidate for the 2026 Area Councils’ election.

Ishaku was declared the APC chairmanship candidate for Bwari at a primary electionm held in June but the party’s Election Appeal Committee allegedly recommended him to be dropped as the standard bearer.

Consequently, the APC stakeholders’ forum in Bwari Area Council has rejected the move, saying it will lead to implosion in the party as the development was causing tension amongst members.

The forum’s chairman, Hon Musa Dikko who was a former chairman of Bwari Area Council and the secretary, Hon. Shuaibu Musa who is also the secretary of APC in the Area Council stated this in Abuja on Thursday.

They appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the party to ensure that justice and fairness prevail by ensuring that the candidate who emerged victorious during the primary election is given the party’s ticket.

Dikko noted that this will contain the rising tension and ensure the party’s victory at the polls.

The forum noted that APC was founded on high political moral ground, accountability, transparency, and openness and called on the party to intervene in the matter to ensure that the right thing is done for peace to reign.

“As part of the process to prepare for the Abuja Area Councils election, the ruling party conducted primary election in the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory on June 25th this year.

“Hon Joshua Ishaku emerged the choice of the delegates by polling all the 33 votes to clinch the Bwari Area Council chairmanship ticket of the ruling party.

“However, one of the aspirants, Hon. Haruna Audi Shekwolo who scored zero vote protested the outcome of the primary election. He took the matter to the Federal High Court in Abuja praying the court to overturn the election result but failed for lack of evidence.

“He later petitioned and lobbied the party’s Appeal Committee which stepped in by looking into the row. The manner the committee conducted the matter and its outcome have drawn the anger of most party members in the Area Council who have accused the committee of bias, injustice and compromise,” they said.

The forum also described the approach adopted by the committee as “kangaroo” in nature, saying it lacked due process, credibility, political correctness and integrity.

They said accepting the committee’s recommendation to drop the candidate who won all votes cast during the primary would amount to tarnishing the good image of the party at the Area Council and in the country.

“Article 20 of the party’s constitution provides that an Election Appeal Committee shall investigate complaints by inviting the petitioner and all parties involved to present their cases to ensure fair hearing and justice.

“This is about the future of APC and the imperative of presenting a popular candidate who has the political and intellectual capacity to win the forthcoming council election and be able to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to win the 2027 presidential election,” the forum added.