Early results from Nyanya Ward in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) show the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the lead, despite low voter turnout in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
At Polling Unit 016, the APC secured 13 votes in the chairmanship race, ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 1 vote, Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 2 votes, African Democratic Congress (ADC) with 5 votes, and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with 1 vote.
In the councillorship contest at the same unit, APC polled 11 votes, PDP 1, SDP 0, ADC 4 and APGA 1. Out of 754 registered voters, only 22 were accredited.
At Polling Unit 091, APC recorded 20 votes in the chairmanship race, while PDP and ADC scored one vote each. The BOOT Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) also recorded one vote apiece. In the councillorship contest, APC scored 11 votes, PDP 12 and BOOT 1. Of the 428 registered voters, only 24 were accredited.
Meanwhile, in Mpape and Dutse Alhaji Ward of Bwari Area Council, some voters described the process as orderly and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for improved logistics.
Speaking at Polling Unit 077 in Mpape, Dutse Alhaji Ward, rights activist and rector, Dr. Charles Nwodo, urged citizens to remain vigilant and safeguard their votes.
“The truth is, votes will count if we, the voters, decide they will count… We stay at our polling units after voting, ensure the votes are counted in our presence, and record the results,” he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of electoral officials, describing the process as “beautiful,” and commended INEC’s efforts in his district.
On result transmission, Nwodo emphasized transparency and proper documentation. “Electronic transmission is the best. Whatever is counted at the polling unit must be documented in our presence. We should snap it, post it, and keep records,” he advised.
He also stressed the need to strengthen institutions, particularly the judiciary, to boost public confidence in elections.
INEC is conducting the polls to elect six area council chairmen and 62 councillors across 2,822 polling units, with over 1.6 million registered voters in the FCT. Collation of results was ongoing in several areas as of Saturday afternoon.