The All Progressives Congress (APC) appeared set, last night, for an almost clean sweep of the area council polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the by-elections into the Kano and Rivers State houses of assembly.
The results of the by-elections in Ahoada East and Khana 2 state constituencies of Rivers as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as this newspaper went to press were in favour of the party.
It was also on the edge of victory in the by-elections in Ungoggo and Kano Municipal constituencies in Kano following the boycott of the polls by its biggest rivals, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Results seen on INEC’s IRev portal last night showed the APC to be dominant in four of the area councils in the FCT: Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Kwali and Abaji.
It had a narrow lead ahead of PDP in Kuje while the PDP also led the APC with a narrow margin in Gwagwalada.
The performance of the ADC appeared pathetic across the FCT.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, seemed to blame the poor outing of the ADC on alleged voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the FCT, including alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel.
However, the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and INEC expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the FCT elections.
Voter turnout in the city centre of Abuja was generally low, but it was much better on the outskirts where the majority of the population reside. The same story of low turnout played out in Kano and Rivers states.
Ukalikpe Napoleon and Loolo Bulabari Henrietta, both of APC, were declared by INEC as winners of the by-elections in Ahoada East State Constituency II and Khana 2 respectively.
The Returning Officer for Ahoada East, Prof. Rosemary Ogbo, announced the result and certified that the poll was duly conducted and contested.
She said Ukalipe polled 3,980 votes to defeat Ego Marvelous of the Action Alliance (AA), who scored 33 votes.
Others contestants were Godstime Egor of Action Party of Nigeria (APN), 38 votes; Oseja Clifford of Boot Party (BP), 11 votes; Ephraim Raphael Ede of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), seven votes; Ogide Samson Greatman of Young Progressives Party (YPP), seven votes; and Kwodu Saturday Prosper of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) six votes.
Prof. Ogbo said Ukalipe, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, was duly returned elected.
Loolo Bulabari Henrietta, on the other hand, polled a total of 7,647 votes to defeat the candidates of the African Alliance, New Nigerian Peoples Party, Young Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, described the by-election as peaceful and orderly.
Yomere told newsmen during an assessment tour of voting activities in wards 8 and 3 in Khana constituency ll that the exercise took place without incidents of violence.
Commenting on voter apathy observed in some areas, Yomere said that INEC should not be blamed, stressing that the commission fulfilled its responsibility by carrying out adequate publicity and necessary preparations ahead of the election.
He expressed concern over voter apathy, but commended efforts made by INEC and civil society organisations in the sensitisation of voters before the election.
“We took it upon ourselves to go from local council to local council, pleading with traditional rulers, politicians and CSOs to encourage voters,” he said.
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf praised the “peaceful conduct” of the by-elections in the state.
The ADC, NNPP and PDP opted out of the elections, but Accord Party, AAC, ADC, APC, APN, APP, PRP, WPP and ZLP took part.
The Governor’s spokesman, Sanusi Bature, thanked INEC and security agencies for ensuring the exercise was conducted orderly and without hitches.
“The calm atmosphere across polling units reflects the growing political maturity of our people,” he said, expressing appreciation to residents of Kano Municipal and Ungogo for their cooperation.
The governor commended political parties, especially APC members, for obeying electoral rules.
“For the first time, we have had a crisis-free election in Kano,” Yusuf said, adding that the development aligned with his administration’s Kano First Agenda.
The governor pledged continued prioritisation of citizens’ security and vowed to work with electoral bodies for transparent and credible future elections.
The Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Amb. Abdu Zango, blamed the leadership of NNPP and PDP for not fielding candidates for the by-election, insisting that INEC was ready to welcome any party that met all the necessary requirements for the by-election.
“You have gone round and seen things for yourselves. As far as security is concerned, you can see for yourselves, no issue.
“And we really want to appreciate and commend citizens and voters. They have behaved responsibly. No violence. No threat whatsoever; visible or even invisible. So, we are very happy.
“The turnout of voters in polling units may be low because of the Ramadan. Second, I think the general feeling that this is a very small election involving only two candidates and very few parties.
“We have nine parties that fielded candidates. For the parties that did not participate, INEC did not receive any complaint from them. We have not received any accusation or anything. That they are not participating is entirely their responsibility.
“We don’t decide who participates. Whichever party that does primary and satisfies all the necessary guidelines as contained in the Electoral Act, is eligible to field candidates,” the INEC Resident Commissioner said.
Reports from different parts of the FCT last night showed that the APC performed well in places like Nyanya, Karu, Orozo, Karshi, Kabusa ,Giji, Gwagwa and Jiwa. The PDP also did well in Gwagwalada and Kuje.
The ADC chairmanship candidate in AMAC, Dr. Paul Moses, who had boasted about his chances in the election, got a total of seven of the 10 votes cast at his Polling Unit 076, Sani Abacha Estate, Wuse 4. The APC got two there while one vote was declared invalid.
He appeared on social media last night, attributing his poor outing to alleged intimidation of his supporters.
The APC flag bearer in the AMAC election, Christopher Maikalangu, scored 229 votes in his Garki village polling unit 004.
As the results began to trickle in, APC chieftains including the National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, his predecessor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun went to the party’s situation room to monitor the results.
Residents of the FCT are eagerly awaiting the official results from INEC.
The ADC said it had received reports of “voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the FCT, including alleged collaboration between agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some security personnel.”
It also raised concerns over disruptions to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which it claimed remained “inaccessible even as results were 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,” the party said, but urged its agents and voters to remain calm, vigilant and to document all incidents observed during the exercise.
It also condemned the movement of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike around polling units in Abuja during the council elections, describing it as interference in the electoral process.
National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the Minister’s presence at voting centres under the guise of monitoring could undermine the integrity of the exercise.
“The FCT Minister is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister, Wike has no constitutional role in the electoral exercise.
“His presence during active voting is therefore not only vexatious and meddlesome but also risks intimidating voters and officials,” he said.
Factional National Chairman of PDP, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, asked INEC to protect the sanctity of the nation’s democratic process from any form of manipulation.
He was reacting to a viral video of the FCT Minister at a campaign rally of the APC where he told them to play their part during the Area Council elections and leave the rest to him.
Turaki said Wike’s statement was indicative of his intention to manipulate the elections in favour of the All Progressives Congress after getting two chairmanship candidates of the party to step down for their APC counterpart.
Turaki described the minister’s statement as deeply disturbing.
“It conveys a troubling mindset and suggests a clear intent to interfere with, manipulate, or unduly influence the electoral process.
“Such conduct is unacceptable in a democratic society and constitutes a direct threat to the credibility and integrity of elections,” he said.
He added: “At a time when Nigerians expect transparency, neutrality and strict adherence to democratic norms especially from public office holders, this utterance falls far below the standards expected of a serving minister of the Federal Republic.
“The PDP therefore calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission to take immediate notice of this undemocratic statement and to unequivocally dissociate itself from any individual or action capable of compromising the credibility of the electoral process.
“INEC must reassure Nigerians through decisive action that it remains committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“Democracy must be protected, and no one, regardless of position or influence, should be allowed to undermine the will of the people.”
