TENSION AT GARKI COLLATION CENTRE AS PARTY AGENTS CLASH WITH INEC OVER COUNCILLOR RESULTS

A tense situation erupted at a ward collation centre in Garki, Abuja, during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, following a dispute between party agents and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the handling of councillorship election results.The disagreement reportedly began when electoral officials attempted to declare councillorship results without allowing party agents to cross-check the figures. Witnesses said agents had been permitted to verify results for the chairmanship elections calmly, in line with procedure. However, the failure to extend the same transparency to councillorship results sparked protests and heated exchanges.One aggrieved agent stated:”Sir, we disagree with this final figures. Let’s confirm them with our record. You were there during the chairmanship; we checked the figures. Can’t they allow us to do the same for councillorship? They just declare it like that without us checking the figures?”The confrontation briefly disrupted the collation process and caused confusion among voters and supporters present at the centre.This incident is one of several disputes recorded during the FCT Area Council elections, which have seen procedural lapses, delays, and low voter turnout in some wards.Early Results from Chairmanship ElectionsAMAC: APC candidate Christopher Maikalangu won with 40,295 votes, defeating ADC’s 12,109 and PDP’s 3,398 votes.Bwari: APC’s Joshua Ishaku emerged winner with 18,466 votes, followed by ADC with 4,254 and ZLP with 3,515 votes.Kwali: APC also secured victory (results not fully detailed).Gwagwalada: PDP candidate won the chairmanship seat.The results indicate that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is leading in key councils, with two chairmanship results still pending.