2027: FCT natives urge INEC to conduct guber election in Abuja

A coalition of indigenous groups and long-term residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a clarion call to the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), urging him to immediately commence preparations for the conduct of a governorship election in the nation’s capital. This demand, articulated […]

A coalition of indigenous groups and long-term residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a clarion call to the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), urging him to immediately commence preparations for the conduct of a governorship election in the nation’s capital.

This demand, articulated during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, is predicated on a recent Court of Appeal judgment which declared that Abuja, the FCT, should be accorded a status equivalent to that of a state.

Under the banner of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, the group also called on President Bola Tinubu to, without delay, rename the current Minister of the FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as the Sole Administrator of the territory to complete what they term his “first tenure,” paving the way for a democratically elected governor in the subsequent election cycle.

The press conference, titled “Fulfilling the Democratic Status of Abuja,” was led by its Coordinator, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara.

He stated that the time has come for the full implication of the court’s judgment to be actualized, granting every Nigerian living in the FCT the right to not only contest for but also to elect their own Governor and members of a State House of Assembly.

Elder Dara, reading from a prepared text, said, “The recent judgment of the Court of Appeal is not a mere legal opinion; it is a binding pronouncement that has clarified the constitutional standing of the FCT.

“For too long, the citizens of Abuja have been treated as second-class voters, participating in presidential elections but denied the fundamental right to elect their own chief executive and legislative assembly for the territory. This democratic deficit ends now.

“We call on Barr. Joash Amupitan, as a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a man known for his integrity, to hit the ground running. His first major task, beyond the general elections, must be to set in motion the machinery for the FCT Governorship Election.

“The logistics of voter registration, delineation of constituencies for a state assembly, and the planning for this historic poll must begin in earnest. We cannot afford any delays.”