AMAC Poll: ADC Candidate Rejects Result, Cites Irregularities

The African Democratic Congress chairmanship candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council election, Moses Paul, has rejected the result of the February 21, 2026 poll in Abuja, saying the process was flawed and did not reflect the choice of voters.

He made his position known on Monday in the Federal Capital Territory, two days after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the outcome of the election.

INEC had declared Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the contest. The AMAC Collation Officer, Andrew Abue, said Maikalangu, who is the current chairman, secured 40,295 votes out of the 62,861 valid votes cast. According to the official figures, Paul of the ADC came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party received 3,398 votes.

Reacting to the announcement, Paul said he could not accept the declared results. He stated that after reviewing the outcome, he remained convinced that he had the support of the majority of voters in the council area.

He claimed that what was announced by the electoral body did not reflect the actual decision of residents who took part in the election.

Paul accused INEC of poor handling of the exercise. He alleged that there were cases of voter suppression, manipulation of results at polling units, intimidation of his supporters and widespread vote-buying in different wards.

He also claimed that movement restrictions during the election affected voter turnout in some areas.

The ADC candidate further alleged that there were alterations of results at certain polling units. He linked the tension at one of the polling centres in Gwagwa to the death of a man identified as Musa Abubakar, who reportedly tried to resist changes to results.

Paul also claimed that some of his party members were harassed by security operatives during the exercise.

He said late arrival of election materials in areas such as Kabusa and other polling units prevented many residents from voting. According to him, these issues weakened public trust in the election and cast doubt on the credibility of the process.

Paul maintained that his political movement was built on the support of residents across communities such as Karshi, Wuse, Nyanya and Gwi. He thanked young people and other supporters who turned out to vote, saying their participation showed their desire for change in the council.

Efforts to get a reaction from the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, were not successful, as calls placed to him were not answered as of the time of filing this report.

The dispute over the AMAC chairmanship result adds to ongoing political tension in the area, as the ADC candidate insists he will not accept the announced outcome.