FCT Polls: Rigging Will Have Consequences For Nigeria, Says SDP Candidate

The Social Democratic Party chairmanship candidate for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Dr Obinna Simon, has said rigging of the council polls will have negative international consequences for Nigeria.

He also vowed to publish all the revenue the council receives from the federal purse as well as what the council generates, stressing that transparency and accountability will be bedrock of his administration.

The FCT council elections are scheduled to be held on February 21.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the former comic star, also he is neither bothered by the incumbency factor of the All Progressives Congress and its governors, nor the clout of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Stressing how critical the AMAC election is for the country, Simon said any attempt to rig the AMAC election will have serious international consequences as the council area houses the majority of the embassies in Nigeria.

“AMAC houses all the embassies in Nigeria and they will be watching. This election is a litmus test before the 2027 election.The embassies will be  watching. They might not be able to go to the states but they will watch out for what happens here in Abuja.

“Today we have phones and social media and so anything that happens will be shared on social media,” he added.

Noting that transparency and accountability would be the hallmark of  his administration, Simon, popularly called MC Tagwaye, said “You knew how popular I was in the entire country, even in diaspora. You also know that there has never been one single scandal about me.

“Even though what I was doing was quite sensitive, mimicking a sitting president that if you were not told, you would think he is the one. Even if I’m on the phone with you, you would think that he is the one speaking to you.

“But I have never for once defrauded anyone or used the same talent to shortchange anybody. I was one of the people that DSS were watching closely, more than anybody.

Every move I make, every call I make, but they have never found me wanting for one day, for that eight years.

“Now what does that tell you? That told you that that is my character. You cannot pretend for eight years. You cannot hide who you are for eight years.

“It’s impossible. It will show. I’m able to also tell you that in my entire life, I have never been convicted of any crime.”

He continued, “As AMAC chairman, I and my team will publish the federal allocation, federal government.

“We will publish it so that everybody will know that this is what came in this month. The IGR in the month will also be published so that people will know the resources that are coming in and what we are also using the resources to achieve. We will not mismanage the council funds, just like we are seeing today.

“All of us know that currently they are investigating the six area councils, over 100 billion mismanagement of funds. That will not happen during my time.”

He also called the security agencies to hold the APC candidate responsible should any harm come to him, his family members and his supporters in the course of the election.

He stated this against the backdrop of video in which an APC was threatening non-indigenes with violence if they vote for SDP or ADC in the forthcoming election.

While he noted that the idea was to scare voters and cause apathy during the polls, he said “The candidate of the APC should be held responsible,” for such videos by his loyalists, adding “If the incumbent is doing well then you don’t have to threaten anybody.”

“So I call on security agencies to hold the individual and the Candidate responsible if anything happens to him, my family members and my supporters,” he said.

In reaction to APC’s heavy campaign council for the polls, the former APC member said  “I have not lost a single sleep about the people that are incumbent, the people will decide who they vote for.”

Simon, who noted that he left the APC because of injustice,  recalled that the APC spent a lot of money but still lost to PDP in the 2022 AMAC election.

He said a lot of APC members will vote for him because they know him, adding “The incumbent is a new face to them. There is no way the majority of APC will vote for APC.”

He also said the ADC’s candidate’s use of Peter Obi as a campaign strategy does not scare him.

Simon said while Obi’s popularity as a politician is not in doubt, he stressed that Nigerians are wiser now and will not be swayed to vote for  candidates they don’t know or trust.