By Oche Otene
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Chairman of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), bringing the local government poll to a close.
Announcing the result, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, the Returning Officer for the election, confirmed that Ishaku secured 18,466 votes to defeat his closest rivals.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 4,254 votes to finish second, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate garnered 3,515 votes.
The chairmanship election was conducted across the council’s ten wards — Igu, Shere, Dutse, Ushafa, Byazhin, Kuduru, Kubwa, Usuma, Bwari Central and Kawu — with voters turning out to elect their preferred candidate.
The outcome followed a political realignment earlier in the week, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Julius Adamu, stepped down on Wednesday in support of the APC flagbearer, a move that observers say influenced the final tally.
With the declaration, INEC formally concluded the electoral process in Bwari Area Council, as officials expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the exercise.
