Ahead of tomorrow’s FCT Area Council elections, several PDP chairmanship candidates have withdrawn, while Minister Nyesom Wike has endorsed pro-Tinubu candidates.

The elections will select chairmen and councillors for the six area councils—Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali—with 15 political parties contesting these positions.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mainly lead the contest. Less than 72 hours before the polls, a sudden political realignment among opposition candidates reshaped the dynamics of the race.

The withdrawal of two candidates from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship contest has added a noticeable element of drama to the opposition party’s leadership race.

In the Bwari area council, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate Julius Adamu surprised his supporters by withdrawing from the race to support Joshua Ishaku Musa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the Area Council Polls.

Julius Adamu from the APC stated that Joshua Ishaku Musa, who belongs to the opposing PDP, is his political brother.

Adamu, who had enjoyed the backing of the outgoing PDP chairman of the council, John Gabaya, surprised supporters on Wednesday afternoon when he announced his decision to step down. He explained that Musa was his “brother” in politics and that it would be counterproductive for them to contest against each other.

“Joshua and I are like brothers. It will not be right for us to fight each other over one office. Therefore, I am giving my support to Hon. Joshua,” Adamu said.

He further disclosed that “fatherly advice” from the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, guided his final decision. Adamu subsequently urged his supporters to rally behind Musa to secure victory in Saturday’s poll.

His withdrawal came shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed Ishaku as the APC candidate, nullifying the candidacy of Shekwolo Audi, who had previously emerged as the party’s flagbearer. Reports indicated that Audi lacked the backing of Wike, who supported Ishaku despite resistance from some APC stakeholders.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), out of 295,711 registered voters in the Bwari Area Council, 276,360 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the election.

A similar development occurred in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where the PDP chairmanship candidate, Zadna Dantani, also withdrew from the race and declared support for the APC candidate and incumbent chairman, Christopher Maikalangu.

In a letter addressed to INEC, Dantani formally announced his withdrawal.

“I write to respectfully inform you that I, Hon. Zadna Dantani has decided to voluntarily withdraw from contesting for the Chairmanship position of Abuja Municipal Area Council, after due consideration and thorough consultation with my family and other relevant stakeholders,” the letter read.

In a video message, Dantani appreciated the FCT Minister for what he described as his intervention and guidance and urged his supporters to back the APC candidate in the forthcoming election.

His exit came less than 24 hours after Adamu’s withdrawal, making him the second high-profile PDP chairmanship candidate to step down ahead of the polls.

Meanwhile, the Abuja Municipal Area Council accounted for the largest number of registered voters and PVC collections in absolute terms, with 795,081 cards collected from 841,587 registered voters.

Minister’s Influence and Promises

The minister’s role in the unfolding events has drawn attention. On Saturday, February 14, 2026, Wike publicly declared that he would support only candidates who align with President Bola Tinubu’s vision, irrespective of party.

“We have the FCT Area Council election coming up on February 21, and I have a duty to support any candidate who supports President Tinubu to win.

“It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win in the election, and I owe no apology for my stand,” Wike said.

Following Adamu’s withdrawal in Bwari, the minister endorsed the alliance and pledged accelerated infrastructure projects if the APC candidate wins.

AAA“If you vote for Joshua, I will do more roads in Bwari. Let nobody make any mistakes. On Saturday, come out and make sure that Joshua wins the election. The FCT minister advised.

He also promised more roads, schools, and other infrastructure projects in the council should the APC candidate emerge victorious.

Also, Hon. Zadna Dantani linked his exit from the chairmanship race after consultation with stakeholders, while appreciating the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for what he described as his intervention and guidance.

Political Alignment and Democratic Boundaries

Adeolu Fagbemi, a governance and political analyst, expressed concern over the implications of such developments for internal party democracy and local governance.

“Political parties are meant to serve as platforms for debate, competition, and transparent candidate selection. If aspirants withdraw or emerge primarily due to ministerial endorsement rather than party primaries or grassroots consensus, it signals a shift from institutional decision-making to personality-driven politics.”

He further noted that local government elections are designed to strengthen grassroots governance and decentralised authority.

“In this case, the alignment of candidates with ministerial and presidential interests reframes what should be a local governance contest into a referendum on loyalty to the centre. This weakens the principle of federalism and local autonomy, both of which are critical to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy,” he stated.

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