Seventy-four candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections are facing possible disqualification following unresolved leadership crises within the party.
This comes as the Labour Party has been completely shut out of the polls, having presented no candidates on the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 22, 2025.
With the Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, INEC documents show that out of the 16 registered political parties, only the LP currently has no candidate cleared for the exercise.
The FCT has 68 elective positions, comprising six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship positions across Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali.
Although the PDP submitted a full slate of 74 candidates — 12 for chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions and 62 for councillorship seats — the legitimacy of those nominations is now under legal threat
The LP’s exclusion stems from a protracted leadership tussle between the Julius Abure-led faction and the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee, backed by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
INEC has refused to recognise the national convention held in Nnewi, which re-elected Abure, insisting that his tenure had expired.
