The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council chairmanship election, Dr Moses Paul, on Monday, rejected the outcome of the February 21 poll, alleging widespread irregularities and insisting that the declared results did not reflect the true will of the people.
Also on Monday, The Obidient Movement rejected the outcome 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 as the elected chairman of AMAC, having scored the highest number of votes cast, 40,295 out of the total number of valid votes of 62,861 in the election.
Paul finished second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party candidate garnered 3,398 votes.
However, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Paul accused INEC of mishandling the election, citing alleged voter suppression, result manipulation, intimidation of party supporters, and vote buying across several wards.
He said he had reviewed the election outcome and insisted he won the people’s mandate.
He stated, “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.
“This movement is not borne of convenience but of conviction; it is carried not by power, but by people. It is written not in ink, but in sacrifice.
“Over the past few months, from the streets of Karshi to the bustling markets of Wuse, from the crowded paths of Nyanya to the quiet resilience of Gui, Abuja residents have risen, standing up and expressing their beliefs. For this, I bow my head in gratitude.
“Let it be known and recorded in history that what we witnessed in this election was not merely a contest for office; it was a declaration of dignity by a people who refuse to surrender their future.
“I have reviewed the outcome as announced. While I firmly believe, based on our extensive engagement and the overwhelming spirit of our movement, that we earned the sacred mandate of the people, I strongly condemn the declared results, as they do not reflect the true will of the residents of Abuja.”
Paul maintained that the actions of certain key players during the election undermined the integrity of the process and weakened public confidence in democracy.
Also addressing journalists at its secretariat in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, alleged widespread irregularities, voter suppression and violence, which he said undermined the credibility of the poll.
Tanko said the Obidient Movement and its supporters had backed the ADC candidate for AMAC chairmanship, Dr Paul, popularly known as Dr Mo, 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.
“The results of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, held last Saturday, are not just a political setback; they are a brazen assault on the very foundations of our democracy,” he said.
Tanko alleged that many ADC party agents were harassed and intimidated during the poll.
He also blamed the electoral umpire for contributing to voter apathy, alleging that polling units were divided without adequate public notice.
According to him, the intervention of former presidential candidate Peter Obi boosted participation.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission contributed to the voters’ apathy by dividing the polling units without informing the people, thus making it difficult for voters to locate their polling units.
“Many left in frustration and not voting with a seven per cent turnout,” Yunusa stated.
He added, “We were clearly ahead in the polls, and the will of the people was undeniable. Yet, what we witnessed was a criminal subversion of that will.
“We must condemn this electoral injustice in the strongest possible terms. We urge INEC to act immediately to address these grave allegations and restore the sanctity of the ballot,” he stated.
The PUNCH