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Seventy-four candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) risk disqualification from the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections following unresolved leadership crises within the party.
At the same time, the Labour Party (LP) has been completely shut out of the polls after failing to present any candidates on the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 22, 2025.
LP Missing from Ballot
INEC documents show that of the 16 registered political parties in Nigeria, only the Labour Party currently has no candidate cleared to participate in the elections scheduled for February 21, 2026.
The FCT has a total of 68 elective positions, comprising six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship positions across the six area councils — Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali.
The Labour Party’s exclusion is linked to its prolonged leadership crisis between the Julius Abure-led faction and the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee, which is 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 that re-elected Abure, insisting that his tenure had expired. Although a court order reportedly directed the commission to issue access codes for uploading candidates, INEC maintained it only recognises party leaders deemed legitimate under the law — effectively leaving the LP without representation in the FCT elections.
PDP Faces Legal Uncertainty
Despite submitting a full list of 74 candidates — 12 for chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions and 62 for councillorship seats — the PDP’s nominations are now under serious legal threat.
The party is embroiled in a leadership tussle between a faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, elected as national chairman at a disputed convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, and another faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, which is reportedly backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Both factions have exchanged suspensions and filed multiple lawsuits over control of the party’s structure and authority to conduct primaries.
Legal experts warn that if the courts eventually rule that the leadership which conducted the PDP primaries was illegal, all nominations arising from those primaries could be nullified.
A similar scenario played out during the 2019 general elections, when the Supreme Court voided the votes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State and the PDP in Rivers State over flawed nomination processes.
If such a ruling occurs in the FCT, all 74 PDP candidates — including chairmanship aspirants in AMAC, Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, and Kwali, as well as 62 councillorship contenders — would be disqualified.
Concerns Over Voter Choice
Commenting on the situation, Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Auwal Rafsanjani, warned that the exclusion or disqualification of opposition parties could result in voter apathy and an unbalanced electoral contest.
He cautioned that unresolved internal party disputes could leave the ruling party as the only viable option, undermining democratic choice and discouraging voter participation.
“If parties fail to resolve these internal problems, the ruling party becomes the only option. That weakens choice and discourages voters,” Rafsanjani said.
“Politicians must play by the rules and resolve their internal crises; otherwise, it creates opportunities to undermine and exclude the opposition.”
