The African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Dr. Moses Paul has alleged widespread voter intimidation and vote-buying by the ruling party during Saturday’s local council election in Abuja.
Addressing journalists after casting his vote, the candidate claimed that some of his agents were beaten and that voters were allegedly disenfranchised in parts of the council.’
“The ruling party intimidated some voters and there was a lot of vote-buying. My agents were beaten,” he said.
He described voter turnout across the council as generally low, despite pockets of higher participation in areas such as Lugbe and Trademore Estate.
According to him, AMAC has an estimated population of about 1.7 million people, with approximately 1.2 million registered voters, yet many polling units recorded fewer than 10 voters at certain periods of the day.
“Overall, it is still very low compared to the number of registered voters. That is worrisome for an election in the most important local council in Nigeria,” he said.
He alleged that some of his supporters were not allowed to vote in parts of Orozo and areas in Karu axis, insisting that he was personally on ground to monitor developments after voting.
“It’s not hearsay. I was there myself,” he stated.
The ADC candidate further claimed that vote-buying occurred across several wards and said his party had video evidence which would be made public.
“There was huge vote-buying across the different wards. We have them on video and we will be releasing some of that,” he alleged.
He also raised concerns over what he described as a tense pre-election atmosphere, referencing a curfew imposed in parts of the city on the eve of the poll.
According to him, such measures may have contributed to voter apathy.
Paul however, acknowledged improvements in certain aspects of the electoral process, including the performance of polling officers and the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that we are evolving as a people.
While expressing concern over the conduct in some areas, he maintained optimism about his chances at the polls.
“I won my polling unit, and most of the results coming out from the estates and several places show clearly that ADC is leading with a good margin. I am very optimistic that I am the next chair of AMAC,” he said.
When asked about reports that a party agent was allegedly apprehended with a large sum of money, he said he was unaware of such an incident and requested details.
