***As Chairmanship Candidate, Vows to End Kwali’s Marginalisation
***Party Commissions New Office, Receives 2,000 Decampees in Kwali
As the February FCT Area Council elections draw near, the spotlight has turned to Kwali, widely regarded as the most neglected of the six councils in the Federal Capital Territory. For many residents, one man is fast emerging as the beacon of hope—Bandoji Jeremiah, the chairmanship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
For decades, Kwali has remained on the margins of development. Unlike neighbouring Gwagwalada, Bwari or Abaji, Kwali has no standard market, no functional garage, no industries, and no higher institutions to reflect its place in the nation’s capital. Its people often travel to other councils for basic services.
Bandoji, however, is promising a new dawn. With a background as a cooperative leader and a track record of engaging communities, he insists his candidacy is about practical solutions tailored to the needs of the people. He pledged to reverse decades of neglect which, according to him, have left Kwali as the most marginalised of the six area councils in the FCT.
Speaking at the ADC rally in Kwali where he was handed the party’s flag, Bandoji said the council’s commercial and social life has suffered setbacks due to poor planning and the absence of basic institutions.
“In the commercial life of any council, markets and transport hubs are the beating heart,” he said. “But in Kwali today, there is no properly planned central market and no standard garage. Our people are forced to travel to Gwagwalada for services that should exist here. The cost is huge—not just for traders, but for households and even the council’s revenue base.”
He lamented the absence of a modern garage, stressing that transport remains a major obstacle. “Without a standard garage, connections to Lokoja, Kaduna or Lagos are unpredictable and often more expensive. For businesses that rely on quick turnaround, this is the difference between growth and stagnation,” he noted.
Bandoji also highlighted Kwali’s untapped agricultural wealth, saying the council produces citrus, sugarcane and cassava in abundance but gains little due to lack of processing facilities.
“Our people are left to process these things locally,” he explained. “With the right machines—cold rooms, gari mills, small sugarcane plants—we can add value, stabilise prices, create jobs and generate revenue. The only way to solve problems is to study society and give people what they truly need.
He further pointed to the absence of tertiary campuses, technical colleges and training centres, describing them as catalytic structures that fuel growth elsewhere. “Where such institutions exist, they stimulate entire economies—student housing, printing, transport, eateries, even a broader tax base. Kwali deserves no less,” he stressed.
Bandoji declared: “Kwali has existed for 29 years, yet nothing significant has changed. We don’t even have a standard market or garage. Industries are completely absent. If elected, we will introduce industries, attract institutions and create jobs from our natural resources like fruits and sugarcane. Kwali produces fruits and sugarcane in abundance, yet we lack processing plants. With the right industries, we can create jobs, generate revenue, and lift our people out of poverty. My vision is to provide real solutions, not assumptions.”
At campaign events, residents have begun to describe him as a messiah figure, someone capable of breaking the cycle of underdevelopment. Unlike career politicians who offer temporary handouts, Bandoji is positioning himself as a grassroots leader with a long-term plan.
He also took a strong stance against vote-buying. “Politicians bring rice and garri just to keep people in suffering for another four years,” he said. “Our people have suffered enough. This time, they are wiser.”
Bandoji believes the ADC’s growing popularity among the youth will tilt the scale in Kwali. “The youth don’t follow money here. They follow vision and creativity. If you give people hope, they will stand with you. Our number one priority is to enlighten and sensitize our people not to collect money in exchange for their votes. If our people reject vote-buying, we are confident of winning massively. Because what Kuje needs now is good leadership, not temporary handouts,” he declared.
With defections from other parties and growing crowds at ADC rallies, the Kwali race is shaping up to be one of the most keenly contested in next year’s elections. For many in the council, the choice is becoming clearer: Bandoji represents not just another candidate, but the long-awaited answer to decades of neglect.
ADC’s vice chairmanship candidate for Kwali, Hon. Issa Garba, echoed this resolve. “We are on a rescue mission to liberate the people from years of neglect. We want to elevate the lives of the people of Kwali and take them to the next level,” he said, adding that the party fears no ruling party so long as “one man, one vote” is upheld.
The Area Council Chairman of ADC, Hon. Chukwu Emeka Abonyi, also expressed confidence in the party’s chances. He described Kuje as lagging behind compared to other FCT councils and insisted that a credible election is key to reversing the trend. “Our number one priority is to enlighten our people not to sell their votes. If they reject vote-buying, we are confident of winning massively,” Abonyi said.
Meanwhile, the immediate past National Organizing Secretary of ADC, Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman, who also chairs the election committee, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to credible leadership. Speaking at the commissioning of a new ADC office in Kwali and the handing over of the party’s flag to its candidate, he disclosed that about 2,000 decampees from various political parties had joined ADC.
“Our candidate has carved a niche for himself through consistent empowerment programmes and his pedigree in politics. You can see the crowd here as evidence of the goodwill he enjoys,” Suleiman said.
He appealed to the electorate to support the ADC, stressing that the candidate has already impacted the community even without holding office. “Imagine what he can achieve if given the mandate. We are urging the people to come out en masse, vote ADC, and secure a better future for themselves,” he noted.
On whether the ruling party’s tactics posed a threat, Suleiman expressed confidence. “By God’s grace, the votes will count. We will continue to enlighten the electorate on the need to defend their votes. Our candidate has the overwhelming support of his community because of what he has already done for them. That gives us confidence. We are not intimidated; rather, we are prepared with strategies to tackle any form of electoral manipulation,” he assured.
