Category Nigeria News

The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s Chairmanship election in Kwali Area Council, Daniel Nuhu as the winner.

READ ALSO: APC’s Ishaku Wins Bwari Area Council Chairmanship Poll

INEC said that Nuhu polled a total of 17,032 votes to defeat his closest rival, Haruna Pai, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 8,575 votes to come second in the election.

The results were declared by the INEC presiding officer at Kwali’s final collation centre on Sunday morning.

Similarly, the candidate of the APC, Christopher Maikalangu, was declared the winner of the Abuja Municipal Area Council election by INEC.

The results for the municipal chairmanship election were announced at the INEC area office in Karu at about 4:30 a.m on Sunday.

President Donald Trump raised the global duty on imports into the United States to 15 per cent on Saturday, doubling down on his promise to maintain his aggressive tariff policy a day after the Supreme Court ruled much of it illegal.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that after a thorough review of Friday’s “extraordinarily anti-American decision” by the court to rein in his tariff program, the administration was hiking the import levies “to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.”

Shortly after the court’s 6-3 ruling that rejected the president’s authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 economic emergency powers act, Trump had initially announced a new 10 percent global levy by invoking a different legal avenue.

At the same time, the Republicans launched an extraordinary personal attack on the conservative justices who had sided with the majority, slamming their “disloyalty” and calling them “fools and lap dogs.”

READ ALSO: US Envoy Says Trump Questioning Iran’s Refusal To ‘Capitulate’ As Nuclear Talks Resume

The ruling was a stunning rebuke by the high court, which has largely sided with the president since he returned to office, and marked a major political setback in striking down Trump’s signature economic policy that has roiled the global trade order.

Saturday’s announcement is sure to provoke further uncertainty as Trump carries on with a trade war that he has used to cajole and punish countries, both friend and foe.

It is the latest move in a process that has seen a multitude of tariff levels for countries sending goods into the United States set and then altered or revoked by Trump’s team over the past year.

Several countries have said they are studying the Supreme Court ruling and Trump’s subsequent tariff announcements.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday urged Donald Trump to treat all countries equally.

“I want to tell the US President Donald Trump that we don’t want a new Cold War. We don’t want interference in any other country, we want all countries to be treated equally,” Lula told reporters in New Delhi.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Saturday he would hold talks with European allies to formulate “a very clear European position” and joint response to Washington before he travels to the US capital in early March.

On the domestic front, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on X it was time for Trump to “listen to the Supreme Court, end chaotic tariffs, and stop wreaking havoc on our farmers, small business owners, and families.”

The new duty by law is only temporary — allowable for 150 days. According to a White House fact sheet, exemptions remain for sectors that are under separate probes, including pharma, and goods entering the US under the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.

On Friday, the White House said US trading partners that reached separate tariff deals with Trump’s administration would also face the new global tariff.

– High court defeat –

Friday’s court ruling did not impact sector-specific duties Trump separately imposed on steel, aluminum and various other goods. Government probes still underway could lead to additional sectoral tariffs.

But it nevertheless marked Trump’s biggest defeat at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House 13 months ago. The court has generally expanded his power.

Trump heaped praise on the conservative justices who voted to uphold his authority to levy tariffs — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump nominee — thanking them “for their strength and wisdom, and love of our country.”

The president alleged the majority of six justices, including two nominated during his first term, had been “swayed by foreign interests.”

“I think that foreign interests are represented by people that I believe have undue influence,” he said.

Shares on Wall Street — a metric closely watched by Trump — rose modestly Friday after the decision, which had been expected.

Business groups largely cheered the ruling, with the National Retail Federation saying this “provides much-needed certainty” for companies.

In court arguments, the Trump administration said companies would receive refunds if the tariffs were deemed unlawful. But the Supreme Court’s ruling did not address the issue.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ungogo and Kano Municipal State Assembly by-elections in Kano State, winning both seats in polls marked by low voter turnout.

In Kano Municipal Constituency, the APC candidate, Aliyu Daneji, polled 7,484 votes to clinch the seat and earn representation in the Kano State House of Assembly.

Declaring the result, the Returning Officer, Professor Ibrahim Siraj, said Daneji met all legal requirements, having scored the highest number of valid votes cast.

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, Aliyu Daneji is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Siraj announced.

READ ALSO: [FCT LG Polls] PDP Celebrates Gains, Signals Court Action Over Alleged Manipulation

Similarly, in Ungogo Constituency, the APC candidate, Aminu Sa’ad, emerged victorious after securing 8,975 votes.

The Returning Officer for the constituency, Professor Ali Abdullahi, declared: “Aminu Sa’ad, having scored the highest number of votes cast in this election, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

Major opposition parties — including the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — did not participate in the elections and were absent from the ballot.

Despite the APC’s clean sweep, voter turnout was reportedly low across several polling units monitored during the exercise.

Reacting to the development, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano State, Ambassador Abdu Zango, attributed the low turnout to the timing of the by-elections and the limited participation of political parties.

“The turnout was relatively low, and this can be linked to the timing of the by-elections as well as the fact that not all political parties participated,” Zango said. “However, the process was peaceful, and the commission ensured that all necessary guidelines were strictly followed.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Mohammed Kasim of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the Gwagwalada Area Council election.

The Returning Officer, Philip Akpen, said Kasim polled a total of 22,165 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Akpen, who announced the results on Sunday, described the election as peaceful and smoothly conducted.

“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on February 21, 2026.

“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Akpeni said.

He also stated that Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1,687 to come in third place.

Election results released so far showed APC won in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, and Kwali area councils.

As of 5:55am on Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had published 2,602 results from the 2,822 polling units expected in Saturday’s chairmanship elections across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), according to data obtained from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The uploaded figures represent 92.2 per cent of all polling unit results across the six area councils in the territory at the time of assessment.

Municipal Area Council

The Municipal Area Council recorded the largest volume of submissions, with 1,309 out of 1,401 polling unit results successfully uploaded, translating to 93.43 per cent.

Ward-level data show the following uploads:

Wuse (Ward 04): 170 of 175

Gwarinpa (Ward 05): 185 of 199

Garki (Ward 02): 155 of 171

City Centre (Ward 01): 135 of 151

Kabusa (Ward 03): 139 of 148

Karu (Ward 10): 114 of 120

Nyanya (Ward 11): 105 of 110

Jiwa (Ward 06): 81 of 90

Gwagwa (Ward 12): 78 of 82

Orozo (Ward 09): 59 of 61

Gui (Ward 07): 56 of 60

Karshi (Ward 08): 32 of 34

Gwagwalada Area Council

Gwagwalada posted the highest upload rate among the six councils, with 330 of 338 polling unit results available on the portal — a 97.63 per cent completion rate.

Breakdown by ward:

Gwagwalada Centre (Ward 01): 56 of 56

Kutunku (Ward 02): 45 of 45

Dobi (Ward 05): 30 of 30

Zuba (Ward 08): 30 of 30

Ikwa (Ward 09): 20 of 20

Ibwa (Ward 04): 22 of 22

Paiko (Ward 06): 25 of 26

Tungan Maje (Ward 07): 31 of 34

Gwakọ (Ward 10): 30 of 32

Staff Quarters (Ward 03): 41 of 43

Bwari Area Council

In Bwari, 463 out of 485 polling unit results had been uploaded, amounting to 95.46 per cent.

Ward-by-ward figures include:

Bwari Central (Ward 01): 44 of 44

Shere (Ward 04): 23 of 23

Igu (Ward 03): 10 of 10

Ushafa (Ward 06): 37 of 37

Kubwa (Ward 09): 78 of 80

Usuma (Ward 10): 76 of 79

Byazhin (Ward 08): 38 of 39

Kuduru (Ward 02): 47 of 52

Dutse Alhaji (Ward 07): 97 of 105

Kawu (Ward 05): 13 of 16

Abaji Area Council

Abaji recorded 129 uploads from 135 polling units, representing 95.56 per cent.

Complete uploads were recorded in:

Abaji Central (Ward 01): 9 of 9

Gawu (Ward 10): 22 of 22

Abaji South East (Ward 03): 10 of 10

Yaba (Ward 08): 12 of 12

Abaji North East (Ward 02): 20 of 20

Other wards reported:

Nuku (Ward 06): 18 of 20

Alu Mamagi (Ward 07): 7 of 8

Rimba Ebagí (Ward 05): 10 of 11

Gurdi (Ward 09): 11 of 12

Agyana/Pandagi (Ward 04): 10 of 11

Kwali Area Council

Kwali had uploaded 164 of the 201 expected polling unit results, giving it an 81.59 per cent upload rate.

Wards with full uploads were:

Gumbo (Ward 08): 18 of 18

Yangoji (Ward 02): 20 of 20

Kwali Ward (Ward 01): 34 of 34

Other wards recorded:

Pai (Ward 03): 24 of 30

Kilankwa (Ward 04): 24 of 28

Wako (Ward 09): 14 of 21

Dafa (Ward 05): 8 of 11

Yebu (Ward 10): 8 of 13

Kundù (Ward 06): 7 of 8

Ashara (Ward 07): 7 of 18

Kuje Area Council

Kuje posted the lowest upload rate as of the review time, with 207 of 262 polling unit results on the portal — 79.01 per cent.

Ward data show:

Gwargwada (Ward 07): 10 of 10

Yenche (Ward 10): 7 of 7

Rubochi (Ward 06): 24 of 24

Kuje (Ward 01): 73 of 76

Chibiri (Ward 02): 40 of 42

Gaube (Ward 03): 34 of 43

Kwaku (Ward 04): 9 of 12

Kujekwa (Ward 09): 7 of 12

Gudun Karya (Ward 08): 3 of 20

Kabi (Ward 05): 0 of 16

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Christopher Maikalangu, has been declared the winner of the Abuja Municipal Area Council election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The results for the municipal chairmanship election were announced at the INEC area office in Karu at about 4:30 a.m on Sunday.

The Collation Officer for AMAC, Andrew Abue, said that Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected, having scored the highest number of votes cast, 40,295 out of the total number of valid votes of 62,861 in the election.

“That Maikalangu of the APC, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” he said.

Abue stated that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to him, a professor, the rejected votes are 2,336, and the total valid votes are 62,861, while the total votes cast are 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

According to him, the scores of the 12 political parties and their candidates that contested the AMAC chairmanship election are:

Agbon Vaniah of the Accord (A) – 403 votes

Nemiebika Tamunomiesam of the Action Alliance (AA) – 108 votes

Paul Ogidi of African Democratic Congress (ADC) – 12,109 votes

Richard Elizabeth of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) – 588 votes

Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – 40,295 votes

Eze Chukwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – 1,111 votes

Chukwu Promise of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) – 122 votes

Ugoh Michael of the Action Peoples Party(APP) – 32 votes

Thomas Happiness of the Boot Party (BP) – 43 votes

Jibrin Alhassan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – 1,694 votes

Samson Usani of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) – 73 votes

Dantani Zanda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – 3,398 votes

Iber Shimakaha of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) – 90 votes

Simon Obinna of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – 2,185 votes

Madaki Robert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) – 421 votes