The outcome of the Abuja area council does not exactly leave those who are hoping to use the election as a litmus test and measure of how prepared, determined and formidable the opposition parties, particularly the ADC, are ahead of 2027 — those who are hoping the opposition will perform well — with a great deal of optimism and confidence. Instead, they are enveloped by pessimism and concern, and rightly so
On Saturday, the residents of Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory, went to the polls to elect chairmen and councillors for the six area councils which are Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Gwagwalada, Abaji, Kwali, and Kuje. The election was not without the usual intrigues, shenanigans and histrionics that usually accompany Nigerian elections. The council elections also gained a lot of attention as many Nigerians are interested in their conduct and outcome as they believe it will serve as some sort of Crystal ball that will offer a glimpse and insight into what the 2027 elections will look like. The controversy that dogged the recently passed Electoral Act Amendment Bill only added to the hysteria and drama.
Many, especially those who are deeply dissatisfied with the state of the nation and resentful of the All Progressives Congress (APC), see the election as an opportunity for the opposition, particularly the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC) to prove its mettle against the much-entrenched and formidable APC, which is ready to do anything to consolidate and retain power. Even though one cannot completely use the results announced so far in Abuja council to determine what to expect in next year’s general election, from the results announced so far, it does not appear that the ADC is doing enough to destroy the machinations of APC, let alone upstage the ruling party. This is partly not the party’s fault but more about institutional weakness. There is only so much an opposition party can do if government institutions that should be independent and serve the interests of the people become an appendage of the ruling party, which is filled with a vicious, ravenous and power-hungry political class.
The stalwarts and prominent members of the ADC did what you would expect leading figures in opposition parties to do in what is the most significant council election in the nation’s seat of power. From former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, everyone stepped up and did what they had to do. They campaigned for the ADC candidates in the council elections. They were involved in electioneering. They joined rallies, engaged the electorate and implored them to vote for the ADC candidates.
In Nigerian elections, especially an attention-grabbing and highly anticipated one like the Abuja council polls, accusations and counteraccusations of a plot to rig are a staple of the electoral process. On Friday, the ADC raised an alarm over the curfew and restriction of movement from 8pm on that day till 6am on election day. The party claimed it was part of the APC plot to rig the election. The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Ireti Kingibe, faulted the curfew imposed on residents by Minister Nyesom Wike ahead of the area council election in the capital city, describing it as an “unnecessarily limits their freedom in a democratic society”
Low turnout and voter apathy.
The election was marred by voters’ indifference to the poll with many residents seemingly disillusioned by the entire process. According to reports, many eligible voters boycotted the polls, citing frustration with the political process and a lack of trust and confidence in the democratic and electoral system. From Jikwoyi and Karu to Bwari, Gwagwalada, Nyanya, Mpape, Deidei, Kuje, Kwali, Lugbe, Durumi, and beyond, turnout was disturbingly low.
Observers and position figures also decried a palpable lack of transparency, with allegations of vote buying and selling taking the centre stage in some parts of the territory. Aside from the widespread voter apathy, the election was also marred by logistical failures, technical glitches, disenfranchisement claims, sporadic violence, and missing party logos on some ballots. Violence was recorded in places like Bwari town, after chaos erupted near the Zenith Bank/JAMB office over alleged vote buying and voter intimidation by APC agents. There was also violence and unrest at LEA Primary school Ushafa in Bwari Area Council and in Kuje’s Junior Secondary School Kayada, where an officer of the Department of State Services, DSS, reportedly escaped death after over 50 youths violently attacked him
One Mrs Omeza reported live on Nigeria Info 95.1 FM that security officers fired teargas on both voters and some journalists covering the exercise. “They teargassed us, they didn’t want us to vote. People are crying, people who are fasting are being teargassed and harassed. They just managed to come out, all of them have gone back and they don’t want to come out anymore,” she alleged
Final result
Despite the obvious violence, vote buying, voter intimidation and in many cases rigging and manipulation of election results as seen in some of the altered results uploaded on the IREV with Tipex used to change and reduce the number of votes cast for ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission asserted that the election was credible and smooth. In the final results announced so far on Sunday, the INEC disclosed that the APC won three of the six area councils in the FCT while the PDP won one. The ruling party is also poised to win the remaining two councils.
The outcome of the Abuja area council does not exactly leave those who are hoping to use the election as a litmus test and measure of how prepared and formidable the opposition parties, particularly the ADC, are ahead of 2027 — those who are hoping the opposition will perform well — with a great deal of optimism and confidence. Instead, they are enveloped by pessimism and concern, and rightly so. While the claims of widespread irregularities, electoral fraud and malpractice cannot be discounted, one would have hoped that a party like the ADC would have put in place measures to counter these undemocratic plots. You cannot go into a contest with an opponent or competitor that has repeatedly shown that it doesn’t give a hoot about fairness and transparency without adequate preparation to counter their shenanigans and deviousness, to do that will amount to masterminding your own failure and defeat.
The tasks before the opposition going into 2027 are huge and significant if they are to stand a chance of ousting the APC. They must go beyond the simple and inefficient activities of organising press conferences and issuing empty statements. They must show grit, boldness, and courage. They must ditch the cosy hall of the news conference for the sunny and dusty street where the struggle happens. When you are dealing with people who do not play by the rules of the game then you have no choice but to become adept at bending the rules without breaking.
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