The African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured a decisive victory over the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at a single polling unit in Abuja during Saturday’s Area Council elections across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
At Polling Unit 076 in Sani Abacha Estate, Wuse Zone 4—the unit where Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship candidate Dr. Moses Paul voted—the ADC received seven out of ten valid votes. The APC garnered two votes, with one ballot paper rejected. The contest occurred amid reports of generally low voter turnout across the territory.
Dr. Paul, addressing journalists, directly linked the poor participation to the movement restriction imposed by the FCT Minister in the days leading up to the election. He described the resulting atmosphere as unprecedented in his 40 years of residency in AMAC, comparing it to a “state of emergency” created by what he termed an unwarranted directive.
While commending the professionalism of electoral officials at his polling unit, Paul claimed his party’s agents faced intimidation in several other wards, including Takum Shara, Dogongada, and Shereti. He alleged that some agents were threatened with violence, an act he characterized as a deliberate suppression strategy aimed at influencing the outcome in favour of the APC. He also accused the ruling party of ongoing vote-buying operations in parts of the capital city.
Despite the reported challenges, Dr. Paul expressed confidence in an overall ADC victory, asserting that “the will of the people would prevail” and urging citizens to resist intimidation. The AMAC chairmanship is a key position overseeing the administration of Nigeria’s capital city.
The results from this single unit provide an early snapshot of a broader electoral process still being collated. The allegations of voter suppression and administrative hurdles, if substantiated, could influence the final mandate for the council responsible for local governance, revenue, and urban services in Abuja. Observers note that the conduct of these sub-national elections often serves as a barometer for Nigeria’s democratic health ahead of future national polls.
