Welcome to Monday’s roundup of some Nigeria news headlines, where we call the government’s attention to the concerns and needs of the people.
1. The Guardian: Low turnout, electoral reform backlash shadow APC’s FCT sweep
Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) held its council elections on Saturday, but turnout was so low that even the polling units looked confused.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) swept five of six councils, leaving the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hug its solitary Gwagwalada win. The bigger story, however, was public frustration over the 2026 Electoral Act, which insists on manual collation while treating electronic transmission like an optional JAMB CBT feature.
Our Take: This election was less a democratic exercise and more a voter confidence referendum, and confidence is low. Citizens deserve real-time result transmission, transparent collation, and elections that feel like a civic right. INEC must rebuild trust now. Nigerians, meanwhile, must stay engaged and refuse to outsource democracy to political actors.
2. HURIWA accuses Wike of undermining FCT poll
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the ‘anti-democratic antics’ of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of running Saturday’s council elections using ‘illegal, unconstitutional, and draconian measures’ to tilt the exercise in favour of the ruling party.
Our Take: With voter confidence hanging by a thread after the polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) now has its work cut out, and the allegations against Minister Wike only deepen the trust deficit Nigerians are already battling with.
Nigerians must stop assuming elections are a spectator sport, as this is the time to demand transparency from INEC, insist on independence from political pressure, challenge unlawful conduct, and refuse to let apathy become the new normal.
Communities must push for accessible polling units, especially for women, girls, young people, and PWDs who already face multiple layers of exclusion.
As for INEC, they must urgently conduct an audit of last weekend’s polling operations, address accessibility failures, and investigate any credible allegations of interference.
3. Punch: AU condemns Zamfara killings, demands release of abducted women, children
While the FCT was gearing up for the polls, Zamfara State was counting casualties, as more than 50 people were killed and women and children abducted in another coordinated attack on Dutsin Dan Ajiya village, with the African Union (AU) strongly condemning the violence, calling it a grave violation of human rights, and demanding the immediate release of abducted victims.
Residents described the attackers as heavily armed and strategically blocking escape routes, leaving yet another community traumatised and shattered. The AU expressed solidarity with Nigeria, but solidarity alone cannot defend villages.
Our Take: Nigeria’s security architecture is failing its most vulnerable, with rural communities, especially women, children, and young people, facing violence that violates every human rights obligation the country has signed onto.
The federal and state governments must prioritise intelligence, support victims, and stop normalising mass burials. As citizens, we must keep demanding accountability from leaders who treat insecurity updates like classified mysteries.
