The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party winner of the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election conducted on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Kasim was returned elected in the early hours of Sunday, February 22, 2026, at the official collation centre in Gwagwalada, following the completion of ward-by-ward collation of results.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Philip Akpeni, announced that the PDP candidate polled 22,165 votes to secure victory.
His closest challenger, Yahaya Usman Shehu of the All Progressives Congress, garnered 17,788 votes, while Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance received 1,687 votes.
INEC’s certified figures showed that 207,577 voters were registered in the council. Of that number, 46,294 were accredited to vote. A total of 43,960 valid votes were recorded, alongside 1,521 rejected ballots.
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Declaring the result at the collation centre, Prof. Akpeni stated that Kasim, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, was duly returned elected.
The Gwagwalada contest formed part of the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections held across six councils; Abuja Municipal Area Council, Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali where voters elected chairmen and councillors.
Voting in Gwagwalada proceeded under security deployment, with collation extending late into the night before the final declaration shortly after midnight.
With the declaration, the PDP secures control of the Gwagwalada chairmanship seat for the next statutory tenure, pending the issuance of a certificate of return by the electoral commission.