In an assessment of Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Dr Eze Onyenbuchi Chukwu, has raised serious concerns over electoral malpractices and a dishearteningly low voter turnout.
Speaking from polling unit 13 at Asokoro district after casting his vote at about 11:45pm, Chukwu, who also serves as APGA’s National Youth Leader, reported a series of irregularities that he claims marred the exercise in several wards.
While speaking on a primary grievance centred on the Durumi area, he said, “In Durumi 2, polling unit 022, they said INEC officials refused to come with the original copy of the results sheet.
“When they were asked, they said they forgot it in the office. And up to this moment that I am talking to you, they are yet to bring it.”
He alleged a troubling silence from one quarter regarding this disruption, saying, “Every other party agent is complaining, only the ruling party agent that is silent and is just sitting in the car. So no voting is going on there.”
The candidate further reported incidents of voter suppression in communities near Kagini.
“The indigenes have refused non-indigenes to come in to vote. They are telling them that as long as you are not an indigene, you are not voting here, it’s not your land,” he said.
In Orozo, Onyenbuchi alleged outright electoral corruption, “There is massive vote-buying, people are being threatened. Even if you don’t collect the money and vote, you can’t even pass.”
Beyond the allegations of malpractice, Chukwu expressed profound disappointment at the visibly low voter participation, citing an example of a unit with less than 10 voters out of 2,816 registered.
“Honestly, I am surprised. All the way from my house here, I didn’t see voters. The INEC officials are just sitting down.
“I have never seen any area council election in FCT that is as loud as this one in campaigning. I was expecting that people would swoop out to vote, but I don’t know why,” he said.
He issued a stern warning about the consequences of neglecting grassroots elections.
“They don’t always have value for area council elections. Yet, we want to have the best governance at the top. It’s not possible for us to get a good head with rotten body parts,” he said.
Drawing a vivid analogy, he criticised the national priorities, “We are kind of chasing shadows. When fire is burning our house, we are busy chasing rats.”
Efforts to get an official response from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding these specific allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.
Voting activities were reported to be ongoing slowly and smoothly in several parts of the FCT at the time of filing this report.
End.
