FCT poll: 473 candidates battle for 6 chairmanship, 62 councillorship seats

No fewer than 14 political parties are battling for six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats in today’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council polls.  The political parties, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have all together sponsored 473 candidates to compete for the 68 positions.  The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had said […]

No fewer than 14 political parties are battling for six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats in today’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council polls. 

The political parties, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have all together sponsored 473 candidates to compete for the 68 positions. 

The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had said that “110 candidates (chairmanship and vice chairmanship positions) are vying for the leadership of the six area councils while 363 candidates are competing for 62 councillorship positions.”

Observers said the battle to clinch the seats is, however, mainly between the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  

The two main political parties had intensified their campaigns across the six area councils, with a view of wooing the electorate ahead of today’s polls.

Presently, the ruling APC controls four chairmanship seats, while the main opposition PDP has two.

The APC is holding forth in Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), while the PDP controls Kuje and Bwari area councils. The two political parties are working hard to win more seats to place them in good position ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Apart from the report of minor skirmishes in the Dagiri area of the Gwagwalada Area Council where APC and PDP supporters and thugs were said to have locked horns, the campaigns have been largely peaceful and moderate.

This was attested to by the INEC boss, who said the commission was “happy with the behaviour of parties and candidates in the FCT. So far, there are no adverse reports of clashes between supporters of different parties and not many incidents of hate or inciting speeches as they canvassed for votes.”

But as part of efforts to stem the tide of any violence, Professor Yakubu told a stakeholders meeting comprising of traditional rulers, led by the Ona of Abaji Alhaji Dr Adamu Baba Yunusa, area council chairmen and others, that the commission was happy with the present development and wanted the situation to continue.

The INEC boss also said he appreciated the assurances of support by all the groups for a peaceful election. 

But in spite of the assurances, the PDP recently raised the alarm over plots by some people to scuttle the election.

The director of publicity, PDP chairmanship candidate campaign for the AMAC, Emmanuel Inyang, had alleged that an intelligence report revealed that the ruling APC was working to scuttle the success of the poll.

He called on the police and other relevant security agencies of government to nip the brewing trouble in the bud to avoid any violence that could disrupt the arrangement made by INEC.

He also alleged that certain governors of the ruling party had been drafted into the sinister plot, saying there were plans to import thugs from neighbouring states of Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi for the purpose of disrupting the poll.

To also show the seriousness the PDP attaches to the poll, the party constituted a national campaign council comprising of big wigs.

Among those expected to drive the campaign of the party to victory are the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; governors Mohammed Bala (Bauchi); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Delta); Sen Walid Jibrin; Sen David Mark; Sen Bukola Saraki and Sen Enyinnaya Abaribe.

They also include Ibrahim Idris; Ndudi Elumelu; Sen Philip Aduda; Sen Uche Ekwunife; Prof Jerry Gana; Hajiya Zainab Maina; Sen Gabriel Suswam; Magaret Icheen; Sen Zainab Kure and Sen Solomon Ewuga.

Others are Theophilus Dakas Shan (NVC-North Central); Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), national legal adviser); Jiba Y. Micah; Hassan U. Sokodabo; Ngbede John; Zakka Dogo Sunday; Sam Uhuotu, an engineer; Babatunde Mohammed; Francis Orogu; Tanko Beji, a lawyer; Chris Hassan; Abdulrahman Mohammed; Chief Felicia Ebun Owolabi and Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed.

The PDP national organising secretary, Umar Bature, said the campaign council had Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue) as chairman, while his Oyo counterpart, Seyi Makinde is the secretary.

This was as the party urged all aspirants, party members and supporters in the FCT to remain focused and continue to work hard for victory in the election.

On their part, Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and the minister of state, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, have called on residents to vote for candidates of the APC during the area council election.

They assured residents that voting for APC candidates to lead the affairs of government at the six area councils would help fast track development at urban and rural areas of Abuja.

Mr Ikharo Attah, senior special sssistant to the FCT minister on monitoring, inspection and enforcement, made the position of the ministers known at a meeting with political stakeholders from the South-South region who are residing in the FCT.

The minister’s aide urged them to come out in large numbers with their PVCs and vote at all levels. 

Meanwhile, INEC has also declared that election would not take place in about 593 polling units.

Yakubu said, “From just 562 polling units, the commission established additional 2,260 units and relocated some of them from congested locations to proximate but underserved areas.

“We gave voters the opportunity to transfer to some of the new polling units. Unfortunately, voters did not take advantage of this opportunity as we had expected in all cases.

“Consequently, there are 593 polling units in the FCT without registered voters, 1,328 polling units with between 0-50 voters and 546 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters. We have already informed political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies at the national level about this development.

“The commission has decided that no election will take place at the polling units without registered voters. No materials have been produced for these units and no personnel will be deployed to them,” he said.

Ahead of the election, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called for participatory, peaceful, free, fair and credible exercise in the six area councils.

While making the call, the chairman of TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the area councils were very crucial and integral components of the country’s democracy.

“Disturbingly, council elections have always left much to be desired in the heart of Nigerians. Elections at the local government levels have largely been a charade, with the outcomes leaving the electorate and observers perplexed.

“This much has contributed to a huge level of voter apathy in council elections, with Nigerians not matching the same enthusiasm in federal and state elections.

“The TMG is highly worried about the incessant non-credible council polls in Nigeria and the level of voter apathy demonstrated by the Nigerian electorate across council elections in the country,” he said.

He, however, expressed optimism that the FCT council election would represent a sharp departure from the norm and set a standard for subsequent local level elections in Nigeria, especially as it is overseen directly by the INEC.

He, therefore, urged FCT residents in the six area councils to come out en masse to participate in the election.

 On Monday, the leadership and candidates of APC, PDP and12 other political parties participating in election signed a peace accord.

 The party leaders and their candidates who performed the ceremony at the enlarged stakeholders meeting pledged to ensure peaceful, credible and hitch-free election.

 On security, Inspector-General of Police Usman Usman Alkali-Baba, said his men would deploy tactical units drawn from the Mobile Police Force, special forces, counterterrorism unit and senior officers from the Force Headquarters to provide security and monitor the election.

The IGP, represented by Basil Idigwu, also said that police as the lead election security agency had been working in synergy with other security operatives to provide the enabling environment for a peaceful conduct of the election.