The All Progressives Congress took an early lead in some polling units in the Federal Capital Territory area council polls on Saturday.
This is based on results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV).
As of the time of filing this report (10:15 pm), the APC had polled 2,726 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party had 2,104 votes, and the African Democratic Congress had 180 votes across surveyed polling units in Kwali Local Government Area of the FCT.
In Kuje Council Area the APC led with 615 votes, followed by the PDP with 393 votes. APGA had 146 votes, ADC 24 votes, and the NNPP five votes.
In Abuja Municipal Area Council, the APC recorded 2,520 votes; ADC polled 750 votes, while the PDP had 115 votes.
In Gwagwalada, results uploaded as of 10:15pm showed that the PDP had garnered 2,019 votes, the APC 1,779 votes, while the ADC recorded 115 votes.
Meanwhile, the exercise, conducted to fill six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats, was marred by widespread voter apathy and reported vote buying.
Across Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali, thin turnout defined much of the exercise, with some polling units recording single-digit or double-digit votes out of hundreds of registered voters.
In AMAC, turnout was particularly poor in the early hours.
At Polling Unit 006 in the City Centre Registration Area, only seven voters had cast their ballots as of 9:50 a.m., while at Kubwa Polling Unit 053, just 23 of 464 registered voters were accredited, representing less than five per cent turnout.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said residents in parts of AMAC were seen going about their normal activities during voting hours, reflecting voter apathy.
Its Co-Convenor, Celestine Odo, noted that although queues later formed in Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji, participation generally remained low.
Yiaga Africa also faulted the turnout, stating that most polling units recorded poor voter participation despite a largely peaceful atmosphere.
Its Executive Director, Samson Itodo, said administrative shortcomings, including late commencement of voting and missing materials, undermined the credibility of the exercise.
Beyond apathy, reports of vote buying surfaced in parts of AMAC.
The Situation Room alleged that votes were traded for as much as N10,000 in some polling units in Gidan Mangoro ward.
“Vote buying was observed in many polling units visited. In some places, it was openly done,” Odo said.
Operational lapses were also recorded in some centres.
At Durumi I, voting reportedly commenced around 11:00 a.m. following the late arrival of officials, while at Durumi II, some voters protested the omission of their names from the displayed register.
Yiaga Africa further cited confusion arising from the redistribution of voters to newly created polling units without adequate prior notice.
As collation progressed, results uploaded on the IReV portal showed the APC posting strong performances in parts of AMAC, including Garki and Kpegyi polling units, consolidating its early advantage in the chairmanship contest.
However, the ADC secured victories in some polling units, while the PDP recorded dominant margins in select centres in Bwari, reflecting a competitive race across councils.
The ADC criticised the conduct of the poll and accused the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, of interfering in the process by visiting polling units during active voting.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described Wike’s presence as “direct interference” capable of intimidating voters and alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel in parts of the capital.
Meanwhile, INEC continued uploading chairmanship results to the IReV portal as part of its transparency framework.
As of 9:30 p.m., 1,030 results had been uploaded from the 1,401 polling units in AMAC; Kwali recorded 119 uploads out of 201 polling units; Kuje had 147 uploads from 262 units; Gwagwalada, 227 from 338; Bwari, 280 from 485; and Abaji, 72 from 135 polling units.
ADC slams Wike over polling unit visits
The African Democratic Congress on Saturday criticised Wike for visiting polling units during the FCT Area Council elections, describing his presence as “direct interference” capable of intimidating voters.
In a statement signed by Abdullahi, the party condemned what it called the minister’s movement around polling centres under the guise of monitoring, particularly after what it described as a curfew that restricted voter movement ahead of the poll.
“The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the movement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, around various polling units in Abuja under the guise of monitoring.
“Wike’s monitoring exercise, after unilaterally imposing a curfew on potential voters, represents direct interference in the election,” the statement read.
The party argued that Wike, “not being a registered voter in the FCT and as a known partisan and cabinet minister,” has no constitutional role in the conduct of the elections.
The ADC further alleged incidents of voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the capital, including what it described as “collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel,” and urged its agents and supporters to remain calm but vigilant while documenting any irregularities.‘
Wike can monitor FCT elections’
Reacting, the Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, dismissed the allegations.
According to him, Wike has the constitutional authority to move around and monitor the elections as the chief security officer of the FCT.
He maintained that the minister did not breach any law by monitoring the election.
“What did his (Wike’s) movement cause to their party? Did it make their candidates lose? Did they not see Omoyele Sowore and VDM (Martins Vincent Otse) also moving around?
“Why did they not condemn those ones who have no constitutional rights, but instead they were making noise about Wike’s movement?
“The minister is the chief security officer of the FCT. Therefore, he reserves the right to monitor the elections as it is part of his responsibilities,” Olayinka said.
(Source: Punch except the headline)
