From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has granted waivers to all new entrants into the ruling party from the opposition to contest the party’s June 25 primary election for the forthcoming February 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
The decision was reached at an emergency meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Monday at its headquarters in Abuja, despite the protests from the main members of the party to deny the new entrants waivers.
The APC’s national organising secretary, Muhammed Suleiman Argungu, confirmed the granting of the waivers yesterday while inaugurating the chairman and secretaries of the screening and screening appeal committees for the area council election.
Speaking during the inauguration, Argungu announced that the party’s highest administrative organ made the approval for all the new members into the party for the primary election.
According to him, “the NWC realised that some of the aspirants have just joined the party. In consonant with the constitution of our party, the NWC on Monday, approved waiver for all that have just joined the party. This is to give them the opportunity to come on board and participate in the forthcoming election.”
Though the party’s constitution pegged eligibility for any aspirant for the party’s ticket to one year of membership, in addition to being financially up to date, the organising secretary said the NWC had waived the clause for the forthcoming election.
Inaugurating the committees on behalf of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman, Argungu disclosed that 35 aspirants are jostling for the party’s chairmanship tickets in the six area councils while 135 Councillorship aspirants would be contesting for the 62 wards tickets.
He disclosed that the NWC also agreed that the screening exercise should be conducted in three centres after consultation with the leadership of the party at the FCT.
Argungu further explained that the exercise would have two of the councils in each of the three centres.
Aspirants from Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari Area Council are to be screened in Bwari; Gwagwalada will host the screening of aspirants from Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils and aspirants from Abaji and Kwali Area Councils are to converge on Kwali for the same exercise.
The former Kebbi State deputy governor also revealed that AMAC has the highest number of chairmanship aspirants with nine of them; just eight aspirants are jostling for Bwari Area Council ticket.
He also disclosed that while seven chairmanship aspirants would slug it out in Kuje Area Council, six in Kwali, four aspirants in Gwagwalada would be eyeing the party’s ticket just as Abaji Area Council has only one aspirant.
For the councillorship tickets, AMAC has 49 aspirants, Bwari 29, Gwagwalada 19, Kwali 14; Kuje 13 while Abaji Area Council has 11 aspirants to appear for screening.
While advising the committee to be thorough in the discharge of their assignments, the national organising secretary urged them to follow the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act.
He cautioned them to ensure a fool-proof screening to guarantee the party’s flag bearers are qualified to contest the election in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines.
“We are admonishing you to be thorough. Your committees should be fair to all in line with the guidelines of the constitution of the party. We should ensure that if any of our candidates is elected, we will have no fear of litigation when we win the election proper,” he noted.
While responding on behalf of the committees, Akinfolarin Mayowa promised that they would not disappoint the confidence the party reposed on them, stressing, “we are going to be fair and just to all that will appear before us.”