APC leads in FCT Polls amid apathy, vote-buying claims

The All Progressives Congress (APC) grabbed an early lead in several Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council polling units during Saturday’s elections, according to results posted on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IReV portal.

As of 10:15 p.m., APC tallied 2,726 votes against the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2,104 and African Democratic Congress’s (ADC) 180 in surveyed Kwali units.

In Kuje, APC led with 615 votes over PDP’s 393, APGA’s 146, ADC’s 24, and NNPP’s 5. Abuja Municipal showed APC at 2,520, ADC at 750, and PDP at 115, while Gwagwalada flipped to PDP’s 2,019 against APC’s 1,779 and ADC’s 115.

The polls filled six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats but suffered widespread voter apathy and allegations of vote buying.

Turnout was low across Abuja Municipal (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali.

In AMAC’s City Centre PU 006, only seven voted by 9:50 a.m.; Kubwa PU 053 accredited 23 of 464, under 5%.

Voter Apathy and Operational Glitches
Civil society groups like Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and Yiaga Africa slammed the low participation despite a peaceful atmosphere with Co-convenor Celestine Odo noting that residents in AMAC carry ES  on normally during voting hours, with queues emerging later in Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji but overall staying sparse.

Yiaga’s Samson Itodo blamed late starts, missing materials, and poor notice on new polling units.

Vote buying marred AMAC, with Situation Room reporting trades up to ₦10,000 in Gidan Mangoro ward—often openly. Delays hit Durumi I (voting from 11 a.m.) and Durumi II (protests over omitted names).

ADC Accuses FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of Interference
As results rolled in, APC dominated spots like Garki and Kpegyi in AMAC, but ADC won some units and PDP swept Bwari centers.

ADC fired back, accusing FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of “direct interference” via polling unit visits, intimidating voters after a pre-poll curfew. National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi claimed Wike, “not a registered FCT voter,” overstepped with APC agents and security collusion, urging vigilance.

INEC uploaded steadily: By 9:30 p.m, AMAC had 1,030/1,401; Kwali 119/201; Kuje 147/262; Gwagwalada 227/338; Bwari 280/485; Abaji 72/135.

Ministers Camp Fires Back
Minister’s aide Lere Olayinka rejected the claims, affirming Nyesom Wike’s rights as FCT chief security officer to monitor polls.
He questioned why ADC ignored similar moves by figures like Omoyele Sowore and VDM, insisting no laws broke and no losses stemmed from it.