The results of the recently held Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections have been officially rejected by the African Action Congress (AAC), which has called the process “seriously flawed.”
Comrade Rex I. Elanu, the party’s national publicity secretary, issued a statement on Monday in which the party accused the party of systematic manipulation, voter suppression, and institutional compromise.
The AAC declared, “What transpired was not a democratic exercise but rather a concerted attack on the will of the people.”
Hundreds of people were allegedly denied the right to vote in the Kwali Area Council because the Independent National Electoral Commission neglected to account for their Permanent Voter Cards, according to the party, which said that irregularities started before election day.
“Hundreds of voters, especially in Kwali Area Council, were disenfranchised even before election day because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) neglected to account for their permanent voter cards (PVCs),” the statement said.
Surprisingly, official records revealed that numerous PVCs had previously been gathered by unidentified individuals. INEC’s inability to offer concise justifications equates to electoral fraud collusion.
The FCT Minister was also charged by the party with enforcing a curfew that reportedly hindered travel and made it impossible for many voters, especially civil servants, to reach polling places in the heart of Abuja.
Additionally, the situation was made worse by the FCT Minister’s repressive curfew, which prevented many voters—particularly civil servants—from accessing their polling places in Abuja’s city center.
Only 14 people were deemed qualified to vote at a polling station with nearly 5,000 registered voters on election day, according to the AAC.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) was also charged with vote buying in a number of polling places.
“Weak penalties embedded in the recently amended electoral framework enabled widespread reports of vote buying, particularly by the APC, across several polling units,” the party claimed.
Concerns about purported violence in Kuje were also voiced by the AAC, which said that security personnel interfered with voting.
“Security personnel led by Nigerian Police officers violently disrupted voting at a polling unit in Kuje,” the statement read. Election materials were confiscated, and law-abiding voters were subjected to tear gas.
“The APC-led administration and its allies are desperate to undermine the democratic process, and this criminal behavior reflects that.”
The party cited numerous instances of intimidation and fraud as the reason for their concern over what it called “visible voter apathy.”
People lose faith in the system when they consistently see intimidation, fraud, and the monetization of poverty. In addition to distorting results, electoral tampering deters participation and undermines democracy, according to the AAC.
Any election results held under what it described as violent and dishonest circumstances were invalidated by the AAC.
“The results of any election conducted under such violent and fraudulent circumstances are rejected by the AAC,” the statement read.
The party called for sanctions against INEC officials and political actors accused of vote buying, an independent investigation into the purported disappearance and fraudulent collection of PVCs in the FCT, the nullification of polling station results where malpractice was allegedly committed, and the prosecution of security guards and politicians involved in electoral violence.
“Nigeria’s democracy must not be given up to electoral bandits since it was achieved with sacrifice. The statement went on, “The only way forward is the mass mobilization of consciousness, an organized and radical resistance against impunity.”
The party reiterated its position and promised to keep organizing people to fight electoral fraud.
“As a welfarist and revolutionary party, the AAC remains committed to defending Nigerians’ democratic rights and their right to vote,” the AAC continued. We won’t keep quiet. We shall keep encouraging people to fight against electoral fraud and reclaim their nation.
