The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has sharply criticised opposition parties over their reaction to the outcome of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, accusing them of attempting to discredit the electoral process with what he described as exaggerated and baseless claims.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Keyamo dismissed allegations of widespread irregularities, arguing that isolated incidents could not invalidate the overall conduct of the elections.
“This set of opposition fellows are a bunch of lazy and shameless characters,” he wrote. “The futile excuses they give for losing elections have become their opium to numb their pain, disappointment and shame for their rejection by the electorate after all their theatrics and grandstanding. Nigerians are NOT FOOLS.”
According to the minister, the complaints circulating online referenced result sheets allegedly corrected in fewer than 10 polling units out of a total of 2,822 across the FCT. He maintained that such figures were statistically insignificant.
“Assuming it is even 50 units that had corrected (or mutilated) sheets, that leaves you with over 2,770 units,” Keyamo stated, insisting that the scale of the alleged discrepancies was too minor to undermine the credibility of the elections.
He further accused opposition figures of attempting to inflame public sentiment by portraying the polls as fundamentally flawed. “They go further to use this flawed logic to create mass hysteria that ‘our democracy is in danger’ and attempt to stir social unrest amongst unsuspecting Nigerians,” he said.
Keyamo added that some opposition parties appeared unwilling to accept results unless they were favourable. “The only election that can be free and fair, in their own warped minds, is when the ruling party loses,” he wrote.
His remarks follow objections raised by some opposition groups, including the African Democratic Congress, over the conduct of the elections in parts of the FCT.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the Bwari Area Council chairmanship election with 18,466 votes. In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu of the APC secured 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid ballots cast.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinched victory in Gwagwalada Area Council, where its candidate, Mohammed Kasim, polled 22,165 votes to defeat the APC’s Yahaya Shehu.
The mixed results across the councils have fuelled ongoing debate about the credibility of the elections, with political actors offering contrasting interpretations of both the outcomes and the integrity of the process.
