A presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim has described the outcome of Saturday’s area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as strong evidence that the party is regaining momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, despite internal challenges and political pressure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have so far won the chairmanship election in four of the five area councils whose results had been announced as at 3 pm on Sunday. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all but one of the chairmanship seats in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Kwali and Abaji council areas, while the PDP emerged victorious in the chairmanship election for Gwagwalada council area.
The result of the Kuje council area is being awaited, but the APC has so far led in the collation.
Reacting to the results, Hashim congratulated PDP members and supporters for what he termed an ‘outstanding performance under difficult circumstances’, saying the polls demonstrated that the PDP remains structurally intact and electorally competitive despite internal challenges.
Hashim said: ‘The PDP is a resurgent party. In spite of leadership disputes at the national level and deliberate efforts to weaken our structure in the FCT, the people stood firmly by the party’.
However, Hashim maintained that the party ought to have secured victory in three additional councils, instead of one, alleging that its mandate was undermined in those areas.
‘Even with the obvious irregularities, the strength of the PDP was undeniable’, he said.
Beyond the chairmanship contest, the PDP clinched several councillorship seats across the FCT, a development Hashim described as proof of sustained grassroots loyalty and organisational resilience.
He specifically commended ward leaders, polling unit agents, and party supporters for their ‘unshakable loyalty to the party logo.
‘You cannot suppress structure. You cannot intimidate conviction. The grassroots have spoken’.
Hashim further characterised the FCT performance as the beginning of a broader political revival for the PDP, expressing optimism that a united and stabilized party would be formidable in 2027.
‘This election marks the start of our resurgence. If we can perform this strongly under strain, imagine what a united and fully stabilized PDP will achieve in 2027’, he said.
Political observers note that the FCT polls served as an early test of the PDP’s electoral strength amid its ongoing leadership crisis. For Hashim and his supporters, the results represent not only encouragement but also renewed momentum as the countdown to 2027 begins.
According to the presidential hopeful, the narrative of decline surrounding the PDP is misplaced.
‘The PDP is not declining. The PDP is rebuilding. And this is only the beginning’, he said.
