By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the actions of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, during Saturday’s Area Council elections, accusing him of direct interference and creating an atmosphere of voter intimidation .
In a statement issued on Saturday, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the Minister’s movement around various polling units in Abuja as “vexatious and meddlesome.” The party argued that Wike, who is not a registered voter in the FCT, has no constitutional role in the electoral process .
“Wike’s ‘monitoring’ exercise, after unilaterally imposing a curfew on potential voters, represents direct interference in the election,” the statement read. “His presence during active voting is therefore not only vexatious and meddlesome, but also risks intimidating voters and officials”.
The criticism follows Wike’s announcement on Thursday of a restriction on human and vehicular movement across the FCT from 8 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Saturday, a measure he stated was taken with the approval of President Bola Tinubu to prepare for the council polls . The decision was immediately faulted by the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, who described it as “authoritarian” and an “executive overreach”.
Responding to his critics on Saturday after monitoring the exercise in areas such as Karu, Karshi, and Garki, Wike dismissed the allegations. “It is unfortunate, I thought as a Senator she should be able to read. I never imposed a curfew on my own. I said with the approval of Mr. President,” Wike stated, declining to further “join issues” with Kingibe and suggesting the election results would be the ultimate decider . He instead praised the conduct of security agencies and described the elections as largely peaceful, despite acknowledging a low voter turnout in the city centre.
Beyond the Minister’s actions, the ADC raised alarms over reports of more direct voter suppression. The party claimed to have received reports of intimidation in parts of the FCT, including “alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel” .
The party also flagged a significant technical failure, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) had remained inaccessible, even as results were being collated. The ADC described this as a “curious coincidence” and demanded that INEC urgently restore full functionality to the portal and provide a clear public explanation for the disruption .
This concern was echoed by other political groups, including the Obidient Movement, whose National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, alleged that the IReV server was active but not displaying results that were reportedly uploaded successfully .
The ADC has urged all its party agents and voters to “remain calm but vigilant, and to document all incidents” as collation continues.
