The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate release of pending election results from two wards in the Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, citing concerns over potential manipulation following technical delays by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC’s Supervising Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Kuje election, Abubakar Dambo, confirmed on Sunday that results from Kuje Central and Kabi wards remain unannounced. He attributed the hold-up to logistical issues, stating that collation officers initially travelled to an incorrect location before returning to the INEC office and subsequently resuming their work early the following morning to complete the collation process. This technical delay has postponed the declaration of the overall chairmanship result for the council.
Responding to the delay, the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, issued a statement expressing serious apprehension. The party asserted it holds a marginal lead in the affected wards and alleged that this lead is now threatened by attempts at manipulation, including the possible involvement of security forces. The PDP called on the INEC Chairman to order the prompt announcement of the results, noting that most of the data from these wards has already been uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal.
“Election results must remain a true reflection of the votes of the people; anything less invalidates the entire process. We should uphold the sanctity of the ballot,” the statement concluded.
The situation highlights the critical final phase of collation in local government elections, where the swift and transparent handling of results is essential to maintaining public trust. The pending results from Kuje Central and Kabi wards are now a focal point, with the PDP pressing for their release to ensure the final outcome accurately represents the voter mandate. INEC’s handling of this concluding step will be closely observed for its adherence to established electoral guidelines and its commitment to transparency.
