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The African Democratic Congress has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his presence at polling units in Abuja during Saturday’s Area Council elections, describing the action as undue interference that could intimidate voters.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the minister’s tour of polling centres, coming shortly after the imposition of a curfew, amounted to a direct intrusion into the electoral process.
“The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the movement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, around various polling units in Abuja under the guise of monitoring.
“Wike’s monitoring exercise, after unilaterally imposing a curfew on potential voters, represents direct interference in the election,” the statement said.
The party further argued that the minister had no legal basis to be involved in the exercise, noting that Wike “is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister, he has no constitutional role in the exercise.”
Raising additional concerns, the ADC pointed to alleged incidents of voter suppression and intimidation, including “alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel.” The party advised its agents and supporters to “remain calm but vigilant, and to document all incidents” as the process continued.
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The statement also drew attention to technical issues affecting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, noting that it “has remained inaccessible even as results are being collated.” The party urged INEC to “urgently restore full IReV functionality, with a clear public explanation of the disruption.”
Describing the minister’s appearance at polling centres during active voting as “vexatious and meddlesome,” the ADC warned that such conduct “risks intimidating voters and officials,” and called on citizens to report any irregularities to protect the credibility of the elections.
Earlier reports indicated that videos shared by Wike’s media aide, Olayinka Lere, showed the minister visiting polling units in Karu, Karshi and Garki.
Speaking after interacting with voters during the exercise, Wike said the elections were peaceful, praised the conduct of security personnel, and described voter turnout as “quite impressive” in satellite towns, although he acknowledged that participation was low in the city centre.
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