Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has weighed in on the outcome of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory, following the official declaration of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The election produced a decisive outcome after votes from wards across the council were collated, with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Christopher Maikalangu, emerging winner.
Maikalangu secured a total of 40,295 votes to defeat his closest rival, Paul Ogidi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who polled 12,109 votes.
Reacting shortly after the announcement, Ahmad took to his verified X account to offer his interpretation of the political significance of the result, stressing the enduring influence of demographic voting dynamics within the nation’s capital.
According to him, electoral contests in the FCT cannot be properly analysed without acknowledging the role of the Hausa community, which he described as one of the largest and most politically organised populations in Abuja.
“In AMAC, political reality is clear and no serious electoral calculation can ignore the Hausa voting community, one of the largest, most organised and politically conscious populations in the city,” he wrote.
“Attempting to contest an election without engaging, respecting and building trust within this community is a strategic miscalculation, political suicide and a subtle insult to a critical voting bloc whose influence continues to shape outcomes across wards and polling units in this city.”
Ahmad’s comments underscore the continued relevance of ethnic and community voting patterns in shaping electoral outcomes within the Federal Capital Territory.
The former presidential aide served under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and has remained an active commentator on national political developments since leaving office.
