APC in Early Lead as INEC Collates Results of FCT Polls Amid Low Turnout

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Wale Ajimotokan, Onyebuchi Ezigbo,  Adedayo Akinwale, Emmanuel Addeh, Linus Aleke in Abuja and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos

Early results from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections held yesterday indicated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was leading other political parties in several parts of the capital territory amid very low turnout of voters and allegations of vote-buying.

The exercise was a highly spirited contest between the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with the opposition party also leading in some of the polling units.

Amid the allegations of vote-buying and logistical challenges,  the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the elections, describing the process as orderly, efficient, and peaceful.

Wike also clarified that he didn’t impose curfew on the FCT for yesterday’s elections without the approval of President Bola Tinubu.

Elections into the chairmanship and councillorship positions in the six area councils of Abuja, namely Bwari, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, and Kwali, were held yesterday.

The polls, which were characterised by low turnout of voters and incidents of vote-buying, were contested by no fewer than 10 political parties, including the ADC, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Labour Party (LP), APC, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), and Young Peoples Party (YPP).

In Nyanya Ward of the AMAC, preliminary polling unit results showed the APC ahead of rivals in both chairmanship and councillorship races, despite low voter turnout in parts of the territory.

Similarly, in another early declaration at Polling Unit 109 in Alaiyta, the APC was formally announced the winner, over the ADC and other contenders.

APC’s chairmanship candidate, Christopher Maikalangu, won decisively at his polling unit in Garki Village 2, AMAC, defeating the ADC candidate by a wide margin.

However, in Wuse Zone 4 (AMAC), the ADC claimed victory at Polling Unit 076, in both the chairmanship and councillorship tallies.

Observers say pockets of strong ADC performance, particularly in parts of Kubwa and Bwari, signal a closer race than some had predicted, raising hopes among opposition supporters of broader gains as INEC continued to upload last night.

Election officials and on-the-ground observers have noted low voter turnout in many wards, delays in uploading the results, and early logistical delays.

INEC collated only a few results last night, but the commission has yet to declare any official overall leads or winners.

Before the election, the commission said its target was to have the election commence by 8 a.m.

However, while INEC officials arrived at voting centres in the city centre on time, the same could not be said of those at the outskirts.

Amupitan, Wike Commend Peaceful, Orderly Elections

Speaking after monitoring the elections in some polling units, the Chairman of INEC, Amupitan, expressed satisfaction over the peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections.

Amupitan, who visited several polling centres across the FCT, told journalists that accreditation and voting commenced as scheduled in many polling units. At the same time, only minor logistical delays were recorded in isolated areas.

The INEC boss stressed that the commission had recorded encouraging reports, adding that the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) significantly improved the accreditation process.

He said: “You can see for yourself that the election is orderly, efficient, and peaceful. So far, regarding the efficiency of the BVAS, I am very satisfied.

“Feedback from Assistant Presiding Officers across the FCT indicated that voter accreditation took less than five seconds in many polling units,” a development he said strengthened the credibility of the process.

“We are encouraged by the level of compliance with electoral guidelines and the peaceful atmosphere in the centres we have visited. Our officials were on the ground early, and sensitive materials arrived on time.”

The INEC chairman pointed out that about 99 per cent of polling units were operational as of 10:30 am, expressing confidence that the exercise would end successfully.

On his part, Wike, who also described the polls as peaceful, deplored the low voter turnout.

The Minister, who monitored the voting exercise in Wassa, Ketti, Karshi, and Karu, noted that while voter apathy was evident in the city centre, the turnout was quite impressive in some satellite towns. 

“First of all, we thank God that everywhere is peaceful. The only issue we have observed is low voter turnout, particularly within the city, and that has always been the case. However, in some satellite towns, the turnout is quite impressive.

“At this polling unit (Ketti), you can see some protests, just as I was coming in. But what is important is that the election is peaceful — no violence, no destruction of ballot papers or ballot boxes,” Wike added.

The Minister also responded to the accusation by the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, who claimed that Wike’s restriction of movement in the FCT from 8 pm on Friday to 6 pm yesterday amounted to a curfew.

But Wike said: “It is unfortunate. I never imposed a curfew. In my statement, I said — with the approval of Mr. President — that there would be a restriction of movement from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is not the first time such a measure has been taken during elections.

“I clearly stated that it was with the approval of the President. People should take time to read statements properly and understand what was said before reacting. I do not want to join issues. At the end of the election, when the results come out, we will all know.”

ADC Slams Wike over Alleged Interference in FCT Polls

On its part, the ADC has criticised Wike over his movement across polling centres in Abuja during the elections, describing it as undue interference disguised as “monitoring.”

The ADC said Wike’s “monitoring” exercise, after unilaterally imposing a curfew on potential voters, was a direct interference in the election. 

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said: ”He is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister, Wike has no constitutional role in the election exercise.

“His presence during active voting is therefore not only vexatious and meddlesome, but also risks intimidating voters and officials.”

ADC claimed it also received reports of voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the FCT, including alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel.

Abdullahi said, ”We also note disruptions to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which has remained inaccessible even as results are being collated. We find this a curious coincidence and call on INEC to urgently restore full IReV functionality, with a clear public explanation of the disruption.

”We urge all our party agents and voters to remain calm but vigilant, and to document all incidents.

IREV Not Displaying Results, Obidient Movement Alleges 

Similarly, supporters of the ADC chieftain, Mr. Peter Obi, have raised the alarm that the IREV was not displaying the election results.

In a statement issued by the Coordinator of the Obedient Movement, Tanko Yunusa, the group said, ”Information reaching us indicates that the IREV server is active but not displaying results that were reportedly uploaded successfully from various polling units.

All Obidients and Nigerians are therefore encouraged to remain alert. If necessary, we urge everyone to peacefully proceed to the Area 10 INEC office and Karu for the collation process and observe developments closely.

”Ensure that you have the accurate results from your respective polling units for proper verification. Let us remain calm, law-abiding, and committed to protecting the integrity of the electoral process through peaceful and lawful means.”

Yiaga Africa, Situation Room Allege Logistical Lapses, Vote-buying

Meanwhile, Yiaga Africa has raised concerns about logistical lapses, voter redistribution without adequate notice, and incidents of vote-buying during yesterday’s elections, even as it described the overall exercise as largely peaceful.

The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room also alleged incidents of open vote-buying in some Polling Units during the elections.

The group also said that most polling units lacked assistive materials to help citizens with disabilities vote.