The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his appearance at polling units during the Abuja Area Council elections, describing the move as “direct interference” capable of intimidating voters.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the minister’s visits to several polling stations were inappropriate and constitutionally questionable.
According to the party, Wike’s tour of polling units — coming on the heels of what it described as a unilateral curfew imposed on potential voters — amounted to undue involvement in an electoral process in which he holds no official role.
“The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the movement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory around various polling units in Abuja under the guise of monitoring,” the statement read. “Such actions, particularly after restricting voter movement, represent direct interference in the election.”
The ADC further argued that Wike is neither a registered voter in the FCT nor an official of the electoral body, and therefore has no constitutional mandate to monitor the process.
As a serving cabinet minister and prominent partisan figure, the party said, his presence at voting centres during active balloting could create an atmosphere of intimidation for both voters and election officials.
The statement also raised concerns over alleged incidents of voter suppression and intimidation, including claims of collaboration between agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and certain security personnel.
The party urged its agents and supporters to remain calm but vigilant, and to carefully document any irregularities.
In addition, the ADC expressed alarm over disruptions to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which it said became inaccessible while results were being collated.
The party called on the electoral commission to urgently restore full functionality to the portal and provide a transparent explanation for the outage.
Describing Wike’s presence at polling units in areas such as Karu, Karshi and Garki as “vexatious and meddlesome,” the ADC warned that such actions risk undermining public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process. It called on citizens to promptly report any irregularities in order to safeguard the credibility of the elections.
Meanwhile, videos shared by the minister’s media aide, Olayinka Lere, showed Wike interacting with voters during his visits.
Speaking afterward, the FCT minister maintained that the elections were peaceful, security personnel performed their duties professionally, and voter turnout was impressive in satellite towns, though relatively low in the city centre.
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