By Moses Okorie
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu is in a comfortable lead as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has continued to collate results of the Saturday, February 21 FCT Area Council Election.
Result from Nyanya Ward, which was announced by the Ward Collation Officer, Chioma Agu indicates thus:
Total number of registered voters -60,193
Number of accredited voters-5,596
Numbers of votes scored by political parties:
A-37
AA-4
ADC-1,035
ADP-31
APC-3,537
APGA-32
APM-2
APP-2
BP-14
NNPP-16
NRM-2
PDP-522
PRP-5
SDP -115
YPP-20
ZLP-3
Rejected Votes -204
Total Valid Votes -5,377
Total Vote Cast-5,581
Also for Karishi Ward, the Ward Collation Officer, Dr Eunice Agu, stated that the total number of registered voters was 17,701, while 4,103 was accredited during the election.
Numbers of votes scored by political parties according to her are:
A-13
AA-0
ADC-186
ADP-15
APC-2,309
APGA-9
APM-10
APP-1
BP-7
NNPP-1,100
NRM-2
PDP-181
PRP-2
SDP –103
YPP-8
ZLP-2
Rejected Votes –145
Total Valid –3,948
Total Vote Cast-4,093
The FCT Area Council Election, based on 365Daily’s findings, witnessed an unprecedented low-turnout as electorate displayed high level of voter-apathy, which some of them said was occasioned by INEC’s inability to deliver a free, fair and credible elections in 2023.
According to a polling unit agent of Social Democratic Party (SPD) in one of the areas visited by our correspondent, there was no single voter to perform franchise as people were laughing at them saying they came to perform immunization exercise and not election.
“You guys are conducting immunization, not election. Nobody will come near you. Whoever you like, let him win, we are not coming to vote”, a resident was seen mocking electoral officials.
Some people predicted that this voter apathy is a prototype of 2027, because they have lost confidence in Nigeria’s elections, going by the outcome of the previews polls.
With the result collation of the two outstanding wards, the computation of the area council results from all wards is ongoing before the declaration of the final result for the area council chairman election.