The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticised Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for what it describes as “direct interference” in the Area Council elections held across the six area councils of the capital on Saturday, 21 February 2026.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, accused the Minister of visiting multiple polling units across Abuja while voting was in progress.
The party said that Wike’s presence at polling stations was inappropriate and risked undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
Mr Abdullahi said Wike’s movements, reportedly beginning at about 12:15 p.m. at the Karu axis of the FCT, followed a restriction on movement that the minister had announced ahead of the elections.
The party described the monitoring exercise as “vexatious and meddlesome” and said it could intimidate both voters and electoral officials.
The ADC further pointed out that Wike “is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister… he has no constitutional role in the election exercise.”
The party also raised concerns about incidents of voter suppression and intimidation, alleging possible collaboration between agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some security personnel in parts of the territory.
In addition, the ADC drew attention to a disruption to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), noting that the platform remained inaccessible during collation.
The party termed the development “a curious coincidence” and urged INEC to restore full functionality and explain the cause of the outage publicly.
Reports highlighted low voter turnout and operational challenges in the elections. Observers across various polling units reported that queues were thin, particularly in city centres, although some satellite communities recorded relatively higher participation.
In response to criticisms of the movement restriction, Wike said his priority was the peaceful conduct of the polls.
According to media reports, he commended residents for maintaining calm and praised security agencies for their professionalism, while acknowledging that voter turnout was lower than expected in some areas.
Dr Paul Moses, the ADC’s candidate for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Chairmanship, also attributed low voter turnout to confusion arising from the movement directive, which he described as creating an atmosphere comparable to “a state of emergency.”
Other observers, including the civil society group Yiaga Africa, noted that administrative gaps and logistical issues, including BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) malfunctions and reports of vote buying, compounded the challenges facing the electoral process.
As collation continues, early results from some polling units showed competition between major parties. In a few units, the ADC recorded modest victories over the APC, while in others the ruling party retained advantage with larger margins.
- Yiaga Africa Flags Low Turnout, Logistical Gaps in FCT Council Elections - February 22, 2026
- ADC Accuses FCT Minister Wike of Interfering in Area Council Elections - February 22, 2026
- Wike Hails Peaceful FCT Council Polls, Admits Low Turnout of Voters - February 22, 2026