By Ben Adoga
The Abuja Municipal Area Council Chairmanship Candidates Forum has expressed confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) results of the 12 December, 2022 council elections, which gave victory to the incumbent chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu.

The Forum, which passed the vote of confidence on the INEC results during Monday press conference in Abuja, however condemned the FCT election tribunal judgement, which sacked Maikalangu of PDD from office and ordered that his challenger, Murtala Karshi of the APC be returned winner of the election.

Recall that Maikalangu had approached the same tribunal and obtained a stay of execution notice pending final determination of his appeal.

The Forum, made up of those who contested and lost the chairmanship election on different political parties, has warn relevant stakeholders not to temper with the authentic INEC results which was announced in the presence of local and international observers, the media and their agents.

Chairman of the Forum, Comd. Primacy Okadigbo, who addressed the conference, stated that because of their love for the council, they were shocked by the sacking of the “rightful winner of th poo pe election, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu” in a process they all witnessed to be fair, free and credible.

He said: “Having keenly studied the judgement, as candidates who were key players in the election, we are shocked at the judgement.

“Each of us seated here today has our own results signed by our agents and they tally completely with the results presented by INEC at the tribunal.

“According to our result sheets, there were no cancellation of votes at the 12 poling units as claimed in the judgement of the tribunal.

“So where did the additional over 8000 votes that were added to the All Progressive Congress emanate from?”.

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He also queried: “Why was the authentic result of INEC that was presented to the Tribunal, which tallies with what each of us who contested the election was not used in giving the judgement?”

The Forum however noted that their objectives was not to “Preempt outcome of the Appeal, but to do our moral duty as key participants in that election to speak out and let the world know about this injustice that was carried out at the tribunal.”

Okadigno therefore called on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to also speak out, and warned that if the judgement was allowed to stand, it would serve as “an indictment on the independence and credibility of the Independent national electoral commission.”

He commended the successful use of the newly introduced BVAS machine in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun elections without any issue, and wondered why the case of the FCT would be different.

ACCF also called on the Inspector-General of Police, the FCT Commissioner of Police, the Commandant General of the NSCDC to investigate the results that was submitted at the Tribunal and push those found guilty of lying under oath and presenting falsified results according to the law of the land.