The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has commended the peaceful conduct of the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Wike, who monitored the elections in several polling units, expressed satisfaction with the orderly process and the turnout recorded in satellite communities. He, however, noted that voter participation in the city centre remained low.
“Everywhere is peaceful, and we thank God for that,” he said. “The challenge we observed is the usual low turnout in the city. But when you go round the satellite towns, the turnout is quite impressive.”
Speaking at Ketti Primary School polling unit, the Minister pointed to what he described as a strong voter presence, adding that similar enthusiasm was observed in other satellite locations visited.
“It is unfortunate that turnout in the city is very low, as has always been the case. But what is important is that the election has been peaceful — no violence, no snatching of ballot papers or ballot boxes,” he stated.
The Minister also commended security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ensuring a smooth process.
On the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), Wike said early indications showed the technology functioned effectively. “They have just started counting votes, and it is after that we can fully assess. But from what we have seen so far, the use of BVAS is going on well. We commend INEC for the process,” he said.
Responding to criticism from the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, over the restriction of movement during the election, Wike clarified that the directive was not a unilateral decision.
“I never imposed a curfew. If you listened carefully to my statement, I said with the approval of Mr. President, there would be a restriction of movement from 8pm to 6pm. This is not the first time movement is restricted during elections,” he explained, advising critics to properly understand official statements before reacting.
The Minister urged residents to remain law-abiding as the process concludes, warning against allowing disgruntled elements to disrupt the outcome.
Polling units visited by the Minister included locations in Garki, Garki Village, Karu, Karshi, Wasa, Kabusa, Sheretti, and Ketti, among others.