The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dan Nwanyanwu, has warned that every ballot cast in the upcoming February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) must be duly counted.
Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’, Nwanyanwu cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure credibility in the conduct of the polls, particularly by deploying and testing its IREV portal.
He observed that political tension is mounting in the FCT, with shifting alliances and reports of candidates being pressured to step down in favour of others.
He also referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling that has impacted one of the participating political parties.According to him, voters in the FCT have a distinct voting pattern and are not swayed by loud rhetoric or displays of arrogance.
“In FCT, you just said tension is rising and that is correct. Alliances are shifting.
“Some candidates are being persuaded to drop and support another candidate.
“Then you have the Supreme Court that affected one of the parties.
“Let me tell you. FCT residents have a pattern when they are voting.
“They are not persuaded by noise or arrogance. And let me warn that this election on Saturday, the votes must be counted and INEC should test the IREV,” he said.Nwanyanwu noted that recent political developments may surprise those who believe victory is guaranteed.
He added that local elections differ from national contests, and voter decisions may not necessarily align with support for the president or the ruling party at the federal level.He criticized politicians who project excessive confidence, warning that no individual or group can unilaterally dictate the outcome of elections in the nation’s capital.
“A lot of things have happened in the in the past few days. “People who thought they would win everywhere and throw everybody away will be disappointed.
“You may not support the president’s party in this election but in other elections, you may support the president. This is local politics.
“So, when somebody gets to the public arrogantly boasting that he’s god, he’s all, it’s not just right.
“Watch and see the outcome of the Saturday election.
“Some people think they can determine everything in these elections but they can’t. That can only work outside Abuja,” he said.
