Political parties have intensified campaigns to woo voters ahead of Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cleared 17 parties to compete for 68 elective posts.

The positions include six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship slots in Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.

The parties cleared for the polls include: Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA) African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Over 1.6 million registered voters across 2,822 polling units are expected to vote their leaders, according to INEC.

The ADC has stepped up grassroots engagement through community outreach and social interventions, including health programmes designed to boost its visibility among underserved voters.

Party leaders hope the approach will translate into votes from residents frustrated with governance at the local level.

In contrast, APC candidates are relying on incumbency advantage, federal connections and established political structures to retain control or expand their influence within the councils.

A major twist in the race is the complete absence of the Labour Party (LP) from the ballot. INEC’s final candidates list contains no nominee from the party after court rulings upheld its exclusion following protracted leadership disputes and legal challenges.

In previous FCT contests, Labour Party candidates had built strong grassroots support, especially after the party’s notable showing in the 2023 presidential election. Without that third-force pressure, observers say competition may now consolidate around the APC and ADC.

Meanwhile, internal frictions within the PDP are also affecting the campaign climate, with defections, withdrawals and shifting alliances altering calculations on turnout and local influence.

One of the most dramatic developments has emerged from Bwari Area Council, where the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, openly backed the APC candidate, Joshua Ishaku, pledging improved infrastructure, including roads and schools, if Ishaku wins the election.

The endorsement followed the surprise withdrawal of PDP candidate Julius Adamu, who stepped down and declared support for Ishaku after what he described as consultations and “fatherly advice” from the minister.

His decision stunned many party supporters, particularly as he had previously enjoyed the backing of the outgoing council chairman. The Supreme Court had earlier affirmed Ishaku as the valid APC candidate.

Wike’s involvement in the contest has generated intense debate beyond Bwari. The minister had earlier warned that candidates opposed to President Tinubu risk defeat at the polls, a statement interpreted by critics as an attempt to influence electoral outcomes.

He also declared that he would work to ensure that candidates aligned with the president emerge victorious in the council elections, remarks that opposition figures say could heighten political tensions.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the remarks as reckless and warned that it could inflame the political environment ahead of voting day. The party insisted that only voters, not government officials, determine electoral outcomes in a democracy.

Wike had made the controversial remarks in Abuja during the 60th birthday celebration of former lawmaker, Senator Sandy Onor.

As campaigning enters its final hours, parties are intensifying rallies, door-to-door canvassing and last-minute alliances, while electoral authorities and civil society groups continue to urge peaceful participation.

The FCT police command has already deployed personnel across the territory ahead of the elections, announcing a restriction of movement across the FCT from 6am to 6pm on election day with exemptions for essential service providers and election officials. (BusinessDay, but headline amended)

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