The Chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Hon Zadna Dantani, has withdrawn from the Abuja Municipal Area Council race, throwing his weight behind the All Progressives Congress candidate, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, ahead of Saturday’s FCT Area Council elections.
The dramatic move comes just 48 hours to the polls.
Dantani says his decision followed the intervention of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whom he described as the party leader in the FCT.
He adds that the election should be seen as a “brotherhood contest” rather than a rivalry, and urged his supporters across the 12 wards of AMAC to vote massively for Maikalangu.
He confirms that a formal letter of withdrawal has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the February 21, 2026 elections.
Dantani’s exit follows a similar step-down by the PDP candidate in Bwari, further reshaping the political landscape as voters prepare to elect six chairmen and 62 councillors across the FCT.