The African Democratic Congress candidate in the 2026 Abuja Municipal Area Council election, Dr. Moses Paul Ogigi, has rejected the outcome of the poll, insisting that he had already secured victory before events allegedly took a different turn.
Ogigi, popularly known as Dr. Mo, was declared defeated by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Speaking on Arise News, the ADC candidate claimed that as of 3pm on Saturday, he was leading across polling units before what he described as “magic” began.
“By 3pm I had already won the elections across the board, the results, and then magic began to happen. And this is a crazy thing,” he said.
He maintained that he not only rejects the declared results but is also disturbed by alleged irregularities during the exercise.
“So not only do I reject the outcome of the results, but it is so disheartening to see the imposition of curfew, to see the mutilations of results, and to see how members of the ADC were harassed from different polling booths,” Ogigi stated.
He further described the election as a critical moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
“This is why these particular elections that we just concluded will be a defining moment in the democratic journey for Nigeria. Not because it reflects the will of the people, but because it exposes that obstacle that hangs in the way of the will of the people,” he added.
Ogigi said he entered the race with optimism, expressing hope that changes in INEC’s leadership would inspire greater transparency.
“I came into this particular race believing in democracy, believing in the resilience of the will of the people in Abuja. Especially with the change in the INEC leadership, I was hoping for something new,” he said.
He also alleged that the poll witnessed an unprecedented level of vote buying.
“I’ve never seen a heightened level of vote buying like we’ve seen in this particular election,” Ogigi claimed.
