By John Moses
A coalition of seven aspirants from Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has called for the immediate annulment of the recently held delegate congress, citing widespread irregularities and alleged manipulation.
At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the aspirants described the 21st June 2025 congress, held across AMAC’s 12 wards, as a “scripted charade” designed to favour specific individuals and undermine the internal democratic values of the party.
The signatories—Hon Yamawo Ishaku Tanko, Hon Samuel Joseph Gainako, Hon Abdulhakeem Babale Bello, Hon Barr. Dauda Zhidu, Hon Jennifer Ozioma Nnamudi, Hon Saeed Alhassan Haske, and Hon Barr Sylvanus Tanko Piwoyi—insist that the congress did not reflect the will of legitimate APC members.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Hon. Tanko alleged that the delegation sent from the APC’s national secretariat arrived with a pre-arranged list of delegates, sidelining committed grassroots members who have long contributed to the party’s growth.
“There was no congress. What occurred was a carefully orchestrated fraud meant to sideline genuine party loyalists,” said Tanko. “To make matters worse, many of those selected as delegates are recent defectors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
He warned that the manipulation appears geared towards endorsing the current AMAC Chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, as the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming council elections.
The aspirants questioned how individuals who only recently rejoined the APC could be permitted to dominate a critical internal process, calling it a betrayal of the party’s foundational principles.
“This is not just an affront to loyal party members but a direct contradiction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Tanko said, adding that certain elements within the party hierarchy appear “determined to sabotage the President’s political base in the Federal Capital Territory.”
The group demanded a full cancellation of the 21st June congress and the immediate organisation of a new, transparent exercise, supervised by neutral officials unconnected to any candidate.
