ABUJA — The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections descended into chaos on Saturday as suspected APC thugs launched a vicious assault on a polling agent representing the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The victim was reportedly targeted for resisting a daring attempt by the hoodlums to hijack ballot boxes and subvert the will of voters.
Violence Caught on Camera
A harrowing video of the incident, which has since gone viral, shows the agent being swarmed and mercilessly beaten by the mob. The assault occurred despite earlier assurances from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the Nigeria Police Force that high-level security would be maintained throughout the exercise.
Eyewitnesses at the scene described the scene as “explosive,” noting that the thugs acted with impunity, overwhelming the limited security presence at the polling unit to disrupt the collation process.
A Pattern of Disruptions
This outburst of violence follows a day plagued by logistical failures and technical glitches. Earlier, voters expressed outrage over:
- Last-Minute Reassignments: Many were moved to new units hours before the polls, making them inaccessible due to travel bans.
- Equipment Failures: Several units reported the deployment of incorrect BVAS machines, stalling the accreditation process for hours.
Tension Rises During Result Uploads
The attack comes as INEC begins uploading results to the IReV portal. While the commission claims the process is moving forward, the brutalisation of an opposition agent has raised grave concerns regarding the safety of polling officials and the final integrity of the results in affected wards.
Neither the All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the FCT Police Command has issued a formal statement on the identities of the attackers or the current health status of the ADC agent.
