*Selection, Not Election -Transition Monitoring Group, CISLAC
*’Wike Should Not Have Monitored Elections On Polling Day, Has No Constitutional Role In Poll Management’
*FG Choking Political Space -Atiku
By Felix Durumbah, Abuja
Worrying questions are being asked over how the inner circle of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, appeared to have an inkling of how the results of Saturday’s Area Council elections in the nation’s capital would go, particularly pertaining to those of the vociferous opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Interestingly, the party, which has FCT’s lone Senator, Ireti Kingibe, a Wike archrival since 2023 for control of the political soul of the nation’s capital, ended up empty-handed with no Chairmanship seat, when final results were released yesterday.
ADC, which had vowed to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, boasts in its ranks visible political heavyweights such as former Vice-President (VP) Atiku Abubakar (popularly called Atiku), who emerged second in the 2023 presidential election on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) banner; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP); former governor of Osun State, Engr. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; and many others.
At least one of these titans was in Abuja ahead the FCT Council polls, to publicly motivate and provide other forms of backup to the ADC candidates in the elections.
A total of six Chairmanship and 62 Councilorship seats were on offer at the polls.
The Chairmanship positions are for FCT’s six Area Councils of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada, Bwari, and Abaji.
Tongues were set wagging when, after the voting and as results were being collated, there emerged a cryptic post on X by spokesman to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, raising eyebrows and literally setting the internet ablaze.
It stated that Atiku and Obi’s party “isn’t winning anything” even as the ADC had,by then, won some polling units which results had been declared.
But, as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday released the final results, which gave Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) five of FCT’s six Area Councils, PDP, one, and ADC none, it sparked a huge row as reactions greeted the announcements, with the silhouette of Olayinka’s post looming in the background.
CISLAC, TMG Condemn Minister’s Conduct
For instance, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) raised serious concerns, querying what they described as political interference in the elections.
In a statement by Executive Director (ED), CISLAC/ Chairman, TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the groups warned of a heightening erosion of public trust in the electoral process, pointing out that when citizens stay aloof, “it is no longer an election but a selection.”
CISLAC and TMG flayed Wike’s actions in allegedly interfering in the Area Council elections by appearing at several polling units in FCT.
Describing the development as inappropriate, both groups alleged that the Minister is not a registered voter in FCT or constitutionally assigned any role in election management.
The groups therefore urged President Tinubu to rein in such public officials by ensuring that they adhere strictly to electoral laws so as to preserve public and international confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
On the curfew slammed by the authorities on election day, CISLAC and TMG condemned the action, saying it may have dampened voter participation.
Atiku Reacts
On his part, Atiku, in a statement issued yesterday by his media office in Abuja, accused the Tinubu government of choking the democratic space for its own benefit.
The former VP stated: “What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated slowly, steadily, and dangerously.
“If this chokehold is not released, history will record this era as the period when our hard-won freedoms were traded for fear and conformity.
“A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only.”
Details Of Chairmanship Results
Results released by INEC showed that APC dominated the elections.
The results showed that the APC clinched AMAC, Abaji, Bwari, Kwali and Kuje Area Councils, leaving Gwagwalada as the sole council won by the PDP, according to a report in Sahara Reporters.
The paper added that the final declaration in Kuje came amid earlier controversy after the PDP accused INEC of delaying results from two wards and warned that the situation could undermine the credibility of the election.
The opposition party had alleged that the delay raised fears of possible manipulation, particularly because of what it described as its narrow lead in the affected areas,the paper continued.
Despite the concerns, INEC later declared APC candidate Danjuma Shekwolo winner of the Kuje chairmanship election after polling 17,269 votes.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, however, the PDP recorded its only victory as its candidate, Mohammed Kasim, polled 22,165 votes to defeat the APC’s Yahaya Shehu, who secured 17,788 votes.
It quoted the Returning Officer Philip Akpen, while announcing the result, as declaring that Kasim, “having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
The breakdown of votes in Gwagwalada showed PDP with 22,165 votes, APC with 17,788, APGA with 1,687, and ADC with 1,366.
In Bwari Area Council, APC candidate Joshua Ishaku emerged victorious with 18,466 votes. Returning Officer Mohammed Nurudeen announced that Ishaku, “having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
INEC figures showed ADC scored 4,254 votes while Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515.
The APC also retained control of the Abuja Municipal Area Council, where incumbent Chairman Christopher Maikalangu was re-elected after securing 40,295 votes.
AMAC Collation Officer Andrew Abue declared Maikalangu winner, stating that he had “satisfied the requirements of the law” and was returned elected.
Other parties trailed behind, with ADC polling 12,109 votes, PDP 3,398, SDP 2,185 and NNPP 1,694.
In Abaji Area Council, APC candidate Umar Abdullahi Abubakar won the chairmanship election with 15,536 votes, defeating the PDP which scored 4,547 votes, while ADC polled 37 votes.
Similarly, in Kwali Area Council, APC candidate Nuhu Daniel secured victory after polling 17,032 votes to defeat PDP’s Haruna Pai, who garnered 8,575 votes.
*PHOTO CAPTION: A polling unit in FCT… Saturday.
