By Cyril Mbah
Some politicians in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday turned the Area 10 office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into a verbal battle ground over the method of voting that should be adopted by the electoral umpire in future elections.
The shouting match was between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who were at the INEC premises to witness the presentation of certifications to elected area council chairmen and councillors from the six area councils.
What triggered the shouting match that almost disrupted the presentation was a remark in which the FCT Minister of State, Hajia (Dr.) Ramatu Tijani, during her speech appealed to INEC to improve on the newly deployed Biometric Identity Verification System (BVAS) which malfunctioned at many polling booths at the recently concluded FCT elections or revert to physical thumb printing.
The suggestion attracted a resounding “no, no, no” from members of the opposition PDP who also booed the minister of state and accused her of trying to reverse the hands of the clock.
At this point, members of the ruling APC at the venue raised their voices in support of the minister, who could not continue her speech and left the venue in anger and this compelled the Resident Electoral Commissioner for FCT, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to take over the function of handing the certificates to the elected officials, which was earlier reserved for the minister, without further ceremonies.
In his brief remarks, Alhaji Bello appealed to the politicians to maintain peace and to see their victory as a call to duty for the development of the area councils and the empowerment of their people. Yahaya disclosed that the commission could not use 629 polling units during the FCT election due to absence of voters. While stating that voter apathy affected the polling process, he appealed to politicians to engage in widespread voter education to improve public participation in future elections.
Chairman-elect for Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Jibrin Abubakar Giri, who spoke with journalists at the occasion, condemned the attitude of the opposition members who interrupted the minister’s speech, explaining that the minister meant well by appealing to INEC to improve on its acts.
Giri stated that the minister was right for appealing that the voter capturing machines should be improved upon bearing in mind that many of the equipment malfunctioned during the FCT election.
In another interview, the incumbent Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya Bomboyi, who was elected to serve a second term, also faulted the PDP members for trying to disrupt what should have been a celebration event, pointing out that peace serves humanity better than politics of bitterness.
The chairman also used the interview to appeal to those who contested the election and lost to join hands with him and contribute their quota to the development of Kwali Area Council.
The State Online reports that the FCT Senator, Sen. Phillip Aduda, House of Reps. members Micha Jibah and Hassan Usman Sokodabo, among other dignitaries witnessed the certificate handing ceremony to six area council chairmen-elect and sixty-four councillors.
- Tags: FCT Minister of State, Sadiya, APC, PDP, INEC