The 2026 FCT Area Council elections, initially marked by a peaceful dawn, have been marred by reports of open vote trading and flashes of rural insecurity, according to a midday assessment by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room.
While technical systems demonstrated resilience, the integrity of the process came under significant pressure from localised intimidation and the blatant exchange of cash for ballots.
The most alarming finding from the Situation Room’s network of observers concerns the widespread, and sometimes “open”, monetisation of the democratic process. In the Gidan Mangoro Ward of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), observers documented voters trading their ballots for as much as N10,000 each.
The report, signed by Co-Conveners Mma Odi and Celestine Odo, sighted by Securitynewsalert.com, detailed that while some vote buying remained discreet, it was brazenly conducted in several polling units, specifically citing units 008, 056, 057, and 058.
“Vote buying was observed in many polling units visited,” the Situation Room reported. “In a few places, it was openly done… where votes traded with as much as N10,000 each. In some other places, vote buying was discreet but observed.”
Compounding concerns of institutional infiltration, a party agent at Kayada Primary School in Kuje was reportedly caught wearing an official INEC Assistant Presiding Officer (APO) jacket, raising questions about the vetting of poll officials and the influence of political actors on the ground.
While the Situation Room acknowledged the overall professionalism and “significant presence” of the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence, and Immigration Service, the day has not been without violence. Reports of intimidation and harassment surfaced in Kuje, Abaji, and Gwagwalada.
The most volatile encounter occurred at Kpasele JSS Giri II in Gwagwalada, where the presence of a weapon nearly ignited a riot.
“A voter came to the polling unit with a cutlass and the youths charged at him,” the statement revealed. “However, the situation was swiftly handled by the security agents who took him away.”
Beyond physical weapons, observers noted a pattern of “intimidation and harassment” at locations such as Grade 1 Area Court Rubochi and Naharati Sabo School II, suggesting that despite a heavy security footprint, the environment remained hostile for some voters.
The report further highlighted a form of systemic disenfranchisement through logistics. Many polling units across the FCT experienced a late opening, with an average start time of 9:15 am due to the delayed arrival of INEC staff and materials.
Furthermore, the Situation Room pointed to a failure in protecting the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
In Karimajiji, a well-known disability colony, none of the promised assistive materials, such as braille ballot guides or magnifying glasses, were deployed, leaving vulnerable voters without the means to cast their ballots independently.
As the polls move toward the critical collation phase, the Situation Room has called on security agencies to maintain their professionalism and urged political stakeholders to de-escalate tensions.
While the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) performed efficiently with a one-minute average turnaround, the coalition warned that technical success cannot mask the ethical failures of vote buying and voter intimidation. #https://securitynewsalert.com/
