Ahead of the February 2026 Area Council elections in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the All Progressives Congress (APC) has granted a waiver to allow new members from opposition parties to participate in its forthcoming primary election, scheduled for June 25, 2025.
The decision was reached during an emergency meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Screening and Appeal Committees for the FCT council elections, APC National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Muhammed Arugungu, confirmed the development.
According to Arugungu, the waiver was approved to accommodate new entrants, expanding the pool of aspirants contesting for chairmanship and councillorship positions.
While the APC constitution typically requires aspirants to have held party membership for at least one year and be financially up-to-date, the NWC has suspended these requirements specifically for the 2025 FCT primary elections.
During the inauguration, Arugungu revealed that 35 aspirants are contesting for chairmanship tickets across the six area councils, while 135 aspirants are vying for councillorship slots across 62 wards.
To streamline the process, the NWC agreed to conduct screenings in three centres:
· Bwari: for aspirants from Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari
· Gwagwalada: for aspirants from Gwagwalada and Kuje
· Kwali: for aspirants from Kwali and Abaji
Arugungu also shared that AMAC has 9 chairmanship aspirants, Bwari: 8, Kuje: 7, Kwali: 6 , Gwagwalada: 4 and Abaji: 1
For councillorship tickets, he said AMAC had 49 aspirants, Bwari: 29, Gwagwalada: 19, Kwali: 14, Kuje: 13 and Abaji: 11
He urged committee members to adhere strictly to the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act during the screening process, ensuring that only qualified candidates make it to the ballot and reducing the risk of post-election litigations.
“Be thorough and fair to all. Ensure that our candidates are qualified and capable of winning without legal hurdles,” Arugungu emphasised.
Responding on behalf of the committees, Honourable Akinfolarin Mayowa assured the party leadership of a fair and transparent screening process, promising to uphold the confidence reposed in them.
Confidence Okwuchi