The candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the Abuja Municipal Area Council chairmanship election, Moses Paul, on Monday rejected the outcome of the Feb. 21 poll, alleging widespread irregularities and insisting the declared results did not reflect the will of the people.
Also Monday, the Obidient Movement rejected the result of Saturday’s AMAC chairmanship election, describing the process as a “brazen assault” on democracy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Christopher Maikalangu of the All Progressives Congress the winner, with 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes cast.
Paul received 12,109 votes to finish second, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party polled 3,398 votes.
In a statement issued Monday in Abuja, Paul accused the electoral body of mishandling the process, citing alleged voter suppression, result manipulation, intimidation of party supporters and vote-buying in several wards.
He said he had reviewed the results and maintained he won the mandate of the people.
“I stand before you today not as a man diminished by the outcome of Saturday’s event, but as a man empowered by a political movement,” Paul said. “This movement is not borne of convenience but of conviction; it is carried not by power, but by people.”
Paul added that the election was “not merely a contest for office,” but a “declaration of dignity by a people who refuse to surrender their future.”
He said the declared results did not reflect the will of residents and argued that the conduct of some actors undermined the credibility of the process and weakened public confidence in democracy.
Speaking separately Monday in Abuja, Obidient Movement National Coordinator Yunusa Tanko alleged widespread irregularities, voter suppression and violence that he said undermined the credibility of the poll.
Tanko said the movement backed the ADC candidate in what he described as a coalition for change inspired by the vision of a new Nigeria.
“We address you today with a heavy heart, filled with both profound disappointment and righteous anger,” he said. “The results of the AMAC chairmanship election are not just a political setback; they are a brazen assault on the foundations of our democracy.”
He alleged that many ADC agents were harassed and intimidated and blamed the electoral body for contributing to voter apathy, claiming polling units were reorganized without adequate public notice.
According to him, many voters were unable to locate their polling units and left without voting, contributing to a turnout he put at about 7%.
Tanko also said the intervention of former presidential candidate Peter Obi boosted participation.
He called on the electoral commission to address the allegations and restore confidence in the process.
Attempts to reach All Progressives Congress National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls.
