The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) deployed observers to monitor the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election held on Saturday.
The Delegation of the European Union, alongside selected partners, visited polling units across Abuja, engaging with electoral officials, voters, and security personnel.
The mission was aimed at providing an independent assessment of the electoral process while also collaborating with the election umpire to strengthen and improve Nigeria’s electoral system.
Zissimos Vergos, Deputy Ambassador of the EUD to Nigeria and ECOWAS, who was on the ground observing the process with members of his team, commended the efforts of Nigerian civil society organisations, community groups, citizens observing the process, and the media.
He noted that the media is contributing significantly to ensuring accountability and providing valid feedback to the authorities on the conduct of the election.
“In fact, we saw some voting stations where the queues were overwhelmingly occupied by women waiting to vote. That’s a very important sign,” he said.
He added that the strong mobilisation of Nigerian civil society reflects a firm belief that transparent elections are central to the evolution of Nigeria’s democratic journey.
While emphasising Nigeria’s role as the largest democracy in Africa, he stated that such elections are significant not only for Nigerian society and its citizens but also for the entire continent.
“The responsibility on the shoulders of everybody involved in ensuring that the electoral process is credible, transparent, and efficient is of an importance that cannot be overlooked,” he said.
While underscoring the need for transparency, credibility, and inclusiveness in Nigeria’s democratic journey, the partners observed that the FCT election recorded voter apathy, vote buying, and voter inducement. This was in addition to the disenfranchisement of many voters as a result of movement restrictions.
They, however, noted the orderly conduct of voting in some of the areas visited and commended the resilience of voters, many of whom waited patiently to cast their ballots.
The team also visited the Election Security Information (ESI) Hub, a technology-driven platform that provides real-time insights, data analysis, and coordination tools to enhance election security at the Kukah Centre Secretariat.
The Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Fr. Atta Barkindo, who received the delegation, disclosed that the hub recorded voter apathy, logistical challenges on the part of the election umpire, vote buying across the area councils, incidents of violence, and voter disenfranchisement, among other issues.
He attributed the declaration of a restriction on movement within the FCT as a major factor contributing to the voter apathy observed during the election, noting that this is the first time such a measure has been implemented. According to him, the election umpire needs to intensify its efforts, as the FCT election serves as a critical test case for how the 2027 general election may unfold.
