# 2023 Nigerian Senate election in the Federal Capital Territory

The 2023 Nigerian Senate election in the Federal Capital Territory will be held on 25 February 2023, to elect the single federal Senator from the Federal Capital Territory, with the senatorial district being coterminous with the Territory at-large. The election will coincide with the 2023 presidential election, as well as other elections to the Senate and elections to the House of Representatives; with state elections being held two weeks later.
Primaries were held between 4 April and 9 June 2022 with incumbent Senator Philips Tanimu Aduda being renominated by the Peoples Democratic Party while the All Progressives Congress nominated Angulu Zakari—former House of Representatives member for Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje.

## Background

The Federal Capital Territory Senatorial District covers the entire territory and its local government areas of Abaji, Abuja, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali. The incumbent Philips Tanimu Aduda (PDP) was re-elected with 61.4% votes in 2019 and is seeking re-election.
In other elections in the territory, the state was easily won by PDP presidential nominee Atiku Abubakar, in addition to the PDP gaining both of the House of Representatives seats. Similarly, in 2022, the PDP won most of the councillors election but split the area council chairmanships in the local elections.
At the start of the 2019–2023 term, Aduda retained his position as Minority Whip. He then became Minority Leader in June 2022 to replace the defecting Abia South Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

## Overview

| Affiliation | Party | Party | Total |
| Affiliation | PDP | LP | Total |
| Previous Election | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Before Election | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| After Election | 0 | 1 | 1 |

## Summary

| District | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Results |
| District | Incumbent | Party | Status | Candidates |
| FCT | Philips Tanimu Aduda | PDP | Incumbent lost re-election New member elected LP gain | ▌Angulu Zakari (APC) ▌Y Ireti Kingibe (LP) ▌Philips Tanimu Aduda (PDP) |

## Primary elections
### All Progressives Congress

On the primary date, an indirect primary at the National Women Centre in Abuja resulted in victory for Angulu Zakari—former House of Representatives member for Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje. Results showed Zakari defeating first runner-up Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi by an 81% margin but controversy arose immediately as party members protested that the primary had been manipulated in favour of Zakari. Members critical of the primary conduct noted the sudden shift in the primary venue from the advertised Moshood Abiola National Stadium to the Women Centre in addition to the purported failure to publish the delegates' list or the voters' register. Benjamins-Laniyi supporters decried the imposition of Zakari as an example of the APC's failure to provide fair opportunities for women candidates but the primary's electoral committee chairman claimed that the election was free and fair.
APC primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | APC | Angulu Zakari | 277 | 90.22% |
| | APC | Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi | 28 | 9.12% |
| | APC | Zaphaniah Jisalo | 1 | 0.33% |
| | APC | Usman Jibrin Wowo | 1 | 0.33% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 307 | 100.00% |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 309 | 100.00% |

### People's Democratic Party

The primary, held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja, resulted in the renomination of Aduda after his two challengers stepped down for him. In his acceptance speech, Aduda thanked the electoral committee for ensuring peaceful primaries and assured his constituents of good representation.

## Campaign

As campaigning intensified in late 2022, OrderPaper Nigeria organized a town hall for FCT National Assembly candidates on 5 December. While minor party candidates gave speeches and offered proposals, both Aduda and Zakari did not attend the event. By early February, reporting showed that Aduda and Zakari were no longer the only major candidates as Ireti Kingibe—the LP nominee who is the wife of Baba Gana Kingibe and sister of former First Lady Ajoke Muhammed—and Anthony Ezekwugo—the APGA nominee. Pundits focused on Aduda's strength in rural areas, Zakari's reliance on the votes of his native Gwagwalada, Kingibe's boost from supporters of Peter Obi, and Ezekwugo's targeting of non-indigenes originally from the South-East. Overall, it was noted that Aduda, Kingibe, and Ezekwugo were targeting the same formerly PDP base thus the split could help Zakari.

### Election debates and town halls

2023 Nigerian Senate election in the Federal Capital Territory debates and town halls :
| Date | Organisers | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee | P Present  S Surrogate  NI Not invited  A Absent invitee |
| Date | Organisers | A | ADC | APC | LP | NRM | PDP | SDP | Other parties | Ref. |
| 5 December 2022 | OrderPaper Nigeria | P Yusuf | P Obasi | A Zakari | P Kingibe | P Enwerem | A Aduda | P Osho | A Multiple | |

## General election
### Results

2023 Federal Capital Territory Senatorial District election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | A | Abdulkarim Saulawa Yusuf | | |
| | AA | Jidejisos Josiah Ejie | | |
| | ADC | Paul Smith Obasi | | |
| | APC | Angulu Zakari | 78,905 | |
| | APGA | Chikelue Anthony Ezekwugo | | |
| | APM | Chekwubechukwu Simon Ekwe | | |
| | LP | Ireti Kingibe | 202,175 | |
| | NRM | Samuel Akaolisa Enwerem | | |
| | New Nigeria Peoples Party | Mubarak Ahmad Tijjani | | |
| | PDP | Philips Tanimu Aduda | 100,544 | |
| | SDP | Olanrewaju Lawrence Osho | | |
| | YPP | Mohammed Mukhtar Mahamud | | |
| | ZLP | Swani D. Buba | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | | 100.00% |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |

### By federal constituency

The results of the election by federal constituency.
| Federal Constituency | Angulu Zakari APC | Angulu Zakari APC | Philips Tanimu Aduda PDP | Philips Tanimu Aduda PDP | Others | Others | Total Valid Votes |
| Federal Constituency | Votes | Percentage | Votes | Percentage | Votes | Percentage | Total Valid Votes |
| Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje Federal Constituency | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD |
| AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD |
| Totals | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD | % | TBD |

### By local government area

The results of the election by local government area.
| LGA | Angulu Zakari APC | Angulu Zakari APC | Philips Tanimu Aduda PDP | Philips Tanimu Aduda PDP | Others | Others | Total Valid Votes | Turnout Percentage |
| LGA | Votes | Percentage | Votes | Percentage | Votes | Percentage | Total Valid Votes | Turnout Percentage |
| Abaji | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Abuja | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Bwari | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Gwagwalada | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Kuje | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Kwali | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |
| Totals | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % | TBA | % |