The African Action Congress (AAC) has rejected the results of the recently concluded Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, alleging widespread rigging, voter suppression, and institutional compromise.
In a statement issued Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Rex I. Elanu, the party described the exercise as “a coordinated assault on the will of the people,” claiming the process was manipulated to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the AAC, irregularities began even before voting day. The party accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of failing to account for hundreds of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), particularly in Kwali Area Council.
It claimed official records showed many of the missing cards had already been collected by unknown individuals, raising concerns about possible electoral manipulation.
The party said INEC’s failure to provide a clear explanation suggested “complicity in electoral fraud.”
The AAC also blamed a curfew reportedly imposed by the FCT administration for preventing many civil servants and residents from accessing polling units in central Abuja.
It further alleged severe voter suppression on election day, citing an instance where only 14 voters were allowed to cast ballots at a polling unit with more than 5,000 registered voters.
The party additionally accused the APC of widespread vote-buying across multiple polling units, claiming weak penalties in Nigeria’s electoral laws emboldened offenders.
In Kuje Area Council, the AAC alleged that security operatives, including officers of the Nigeria Police Force, violently disrupted voting.
The party claimed voters were tear-gassed and electoral materials seized, describing the incident as deliberate intimidation to undermine the process.
Rejecting the election outcome, the AAC called for:
- An independent investigation into the alleged disappearance of PVCs.
- Prosecution of security personnel and politicians linked to electoral violence.
- Sanctions against INEC officials accused of complicity.
- Cancellation of results from polling units where malpractice allegedly occurred.
The party also expressed concern over widespread voter apathy, warning that repeated incidents of fraud and intimidation could further erode public trust in Nigeria’s democratic system.
AAC vowed to mobilise citizens nationwide to resist electoral fraud and defend their voting rights, insisting that Nigeria’s democracy “must not be surrendered to electoral bandits.”
