Politics: Alleges Wike’s presence intimidating voters, flags IReV disruption
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of interfering in the ongoing area council elections in Abuja, warning that his movements around polling units could intimidate voters and undermine the credibility of the process.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party criticised what it described as Wike’s movement across polling centres under the guise of monitoring and urged its agents to document any irregularities during the polls.“We strongly condemn 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 party said.According to the ADC, Wike is not a registered voter in the territory and, as a serving cabinet member and partisan figure, should not be present at polling units during active voting.“
He is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister, Wike has no constitutional role in the election exercise.“His presence during active voting is therefore not only vexatious and meddlesome, but also risks intimidating voters and officials,” it said.
The ADC also said it received reports of voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the FCT, including alleged collaboration between agents of the All Progressives Congress and some security personnel. “In a similar vein, the ADC has received reports of voter suppression and intimidation in parts of the FCT, including alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel,” the APC said.The party also raised concern over disruptions to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), noting that the portal remained inaccessible even as results were being collated.
“We also note disruptions to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which has remained inaccessible even as results are being collated,” Abdullahi said.Describing the development as suspicious, the ADC called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently restore full IReV functionality and provide a public explanation.“
We find this a curious coincidence and call on INEC to urgently restore full IReV functionality, with a clear public explanation of the disruption.“We urge all our party agents and voters to remain calm but vigilant, and to document all incidents,” the party added.
