Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Saturday expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the Area Council elections across the territory, even as he noted low voter turnout in parts of the Abuja city centre.

Speaking with journalists after monitoring the exercise in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Wike said the polls had so far been largely peaceful, with no reports of violence or destruction of electoral materials.

“First of all, we thank God that everywhere is peaceful. The only issue we have observed is low voter turnout, particularly within the city, and that has always been the case. However, when you go to some of the satellite towns, the turnout is quite impressive,” he said.

The minister acknowledged minor protests at a polling unit he visited, but stressed that they did not escalate into violence.

“At this polling unit, you can see some protests, just as I was coming in. But what is important is that the election is peaceful — no violence, no destruction of ballot papers or ballot boxes,” he added.

On the performance of security agencies, Wike commended their conduct, attributing the calm atmosphere to their professionalism.

“As I said, the election is peaceful, which means security has done very well. In the past, we used to have incidents of violence in some polling units, but in this case, we have not recorded any such violence,” he said.

Responding to questions on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly regarding the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), Wike said it was premature to draw conclusions before votes were counted and transmitted.

“First of all, they have not started counting votes. It is only after the votes are counted that issues of transmission will arise. But from what we are seeing now, everything appears to be moving smoothly with the use of BVAS. We will continue to monitor the situation and comment based on what we observe,” he stated.

The minister also dismissed criticisms by the senator representing the FCT over the movement restriction imposed ahead of the polls, clarifying that it was not a curfew.

“It is unfortunate. I never imposed a curfew. In my statement, I said, “With the approval of Mr. President, there would be a restriction of movement from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.’ This is not the first time such a measure has been taken during elections,” he said.

Wike urged critics to read official statements carefully before reacting, adding that the restriction was a standard security measure aimed at ensuring a hitch-free process.

As voting was expected to conclude by 2:30 p.m., the minister appealed to residents of the FCT to remain peaceful during the collation of results.

“Voting is expected to end by 2:30 p.m., after which collation will begin. The way people have been peaceful and orderly during the voting period, they should also remain peaceful and orderly during collation.

“That is usually the period when those who feel they may lose might want to cause problems. I urge everyone to remain calm and allow the process to be concluded peacefully,” he said.

He further advised political actors and their supporters to sustain the calm observed during voting even after results are declared, noting that peaceful conduct would reinforce confidence in the electoral process.