The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a special legal team to handle petitions arising from the February 21, 2026 Area Council Elections in Abuja.
The party disclosed that the legal team, headed by its National Legal Adviser, Shafi Bara’u, Esq., will attend to candidates with genuine complaints and assist with post-election litigations. It urged affected candidates to immediately contact the National Legal Adviser, warning that delays could be detrimental in election petition cases.
In the same statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP congratulated its successful candidates in the polls. The party described its victories as significant, despite securing fewer seats than expected, noting that they were achieved amid what it termed “unprecedented intimidation, high-powered money politics and brazen executive brigandage.”
The PDP alleged that reports and video evidence showed armed security personnel carting away result sheets from polling units, intimidating voters, and influencing the outcome of the elections.
The party specifically congratulated the Chairman-elect of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mohammed Kasim, along with councillors declared winners by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It further attributed the voter apathy recorded during the polls to dissatisfaction with the Electoral Act 2026, claiming that many Nigerians have lost confidence in elections conducted under the current law.
The PDP warned that the outcome of the local council polls could foreshadow the 2027 general elections if urgent reforms are not made, and called on the National Assembly and the President to take steps to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
