‎There is palpable tension in Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State, as a group of youths staged a protest opposing what they described as an alleged move by Alabi to pursue a third term in the House of Representatives.

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‎Alabi, an entrepreneur and author, is currently serving his second term in the 10th National Assembly, representing Egbeda/Ona-Ara. A ranking member of the House, he chairs the Committee on Works. He is also the founder of NairaBET and owner of Lekki United F.C.
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‎According to a statement made available to the columng by a journalist Tosin Faleye, protesting youths opposed to his continued representation argued during a street procession, that after completing two terms — amounting to eight years — leadership should rotate to allow fresh representation and new ideas.
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‎Placards displayed during the protest carried messages demanding accountability, transparency, and measurable development outcomes. Some demonstrators alleged that infrastructure projects and empowerment initiatives in parts of the constituency have not met expectations.
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‎Several residents who spoke during the protest expressed concerns about what they described as limited grassroots engagement and insufficient visibility of constituency projects.
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‎Allegations and Counterclaims
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‎The development comes amid broader national conversations surrounding lawmakers’ constituency project allocations, particularly following the removal of petrol subsidy.
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‎At a media and civil society roundtable organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Abuja, House spokesperson Akin Rotimi dismissed claims of increased constituency allocations as false, attributing the reports to political actors dissatisfied with previous electoral outcomes.
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‎Separately, comments by Ayodele Asalu had alleged significant increases in funding for lawmakers’ projects. However, official representatives of the House have refuted those claims.
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‎Governance Debate Intensifies
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‎Critics within Egbeda/Ona-Ara maintain that performance should be assessed based on tangible impact, accessibility, and sustained community engagement. They argue that representation must translate into visible development and consistent communication with constituents.
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‎Supporters of Alabi, however, point to his legislative experience and committee leadership as some of the bragging rights that qualifies him for another term of representation.

A civil society organization, Yiaga Africa, has released its preliminary report on the 2026 Federal Capital Area Council Elections held on Saturday.

The civic group reported that vote buying was witnessed at various polling units in the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted elections for the position of chairman in the six area councils of the FCT, as well as for 62 councillorship seats.

Yiaga Africa said it deployed trained and duly accredited roving observers to systematically monitor the conduct of the elections.

It said that its observers were deployed by 7:30 a.m. and covered polling units across the sixty-two wards of the FCT, with their mandate including observing key aspects of the voting process, including opening procedures, accreditation, voting, and counting.

Yiaga Africa said it observed that the election was conducted in a largely peaceful atmosphere, adding that voters who presented themselves at polling units were afforded the opportunity to exercise their franchise without widespread disruption but added that notwithstanding this enabling environment, voter turnout was generally low, with most polling units recording poor turnout.

It said that logistical challenges adversely affected the timely commencement of polling, particularly in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, where delays in the deployment of personnel and materials contributed to late opening in several locations.

It added that the relocation of certain polling units coupled with inadequate and untimely communication of these changes to voters generated confusion and may have resulted in voter disenfranchisement saying that such administrative lapses have significant implications for electoral access and public

On its preliminary findings, the election watch agency said: “Yiaga Africa observers reported a delayed commencement of polling in several polling units, primarily attributable to logistical inefficiencies and, in some instances, election security–related challenges.

“As of 9:00 a.m., set-up activities were still ongoing in the majority of polling units observed, indicating that essential preparatory procedures had not been completed within the timeframe prescribed by electoral guidelines.

“In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), particularly in Wuse and Gwarinpa wards, several polling units opened significantly behind schedule. Observers noted that polling officials were still arranging materials and organizing the voting environment as at 9:00 a.m., with accreditation and voting commencing only after 10:00 a.m. On average, across the sampled polling units observed, accreditation and voting began at approximately 10:00 a.m.

“Consistent with the Commission’s guidelines, critical election materials including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and the voter register—were deployed in the polling units observed.

“However, in Polling Unit 004, Wuse Ward, Zone 2 Primary School, the voter register was not initially available and was only produced after observers raised concerns and voters objected. In addition, essential voting materials were absent in certain locations. Voting cubicles were not observed in PU002 (Ward 09), PU006 (Ward 01), and PU012 (Ward 10) in Abaji
Area Council. Furthermore, an ink pad required for the voting process was reportedly missing in one polling unit observed.

“Observers reported instances in which voters were reassigned to newly created polling units without prior or adequate notification. While Yiaga Africa acknowledges INEC’s efforts to notify affected voters via SMS, many of these messages were delivered on Election Day, with some received hours after polling had already commenced. The lack of timely and effective communication generated confusion at several polling locations, as numerous voters spent over an hour attempting to ascertain their designated polling units.

“In multiple instances, this administrative shortcoming contributed to congestion and
overcrowding, thereby undermining orderly queue management and potentially
discouraging voter participation.

“The observation further revealed significant disparities in voter distribution within the same polling locations. Such pronounced imbalances raise serious concerns regarding the coherence, and reliability of the Commission’s polling unit expansion and voter redistribution framework.

“Closing of Polling Unit before the official 2:30pm: Observers reported some polling
units closing the polling process before the official 2:30pm close time. While some
polling units experienced poor voter participation, the guideline requires the polling unit to remain open until 2:30pm or the last person on the queue votes.

“Security Deployment and Observer Access: Yiaga Africa observed heavy security deployment in certain locations, which, in some instances, impeded the movement of accredited election observers and restricted access to polling units. Observers further noted that the heightened security presence created barriers for citizens attempting to
access polling units to exercise their right to vote.

“Vote buying: The persistent menace of vote buying once again manifested during the election. Yiaga Africa observers documented incidents of vote buying at polling units, underscoring the continued vulnerability of the electoral process to monetary inducement.

“Despite prior assurances and directives issued by INEC to security agencies to identify and apprehend both vote buyers and sellers, these illicit practices reportedly continued in several locations.”

President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the Electoral Act Amendment) 2026, saying in Nigeria, electronic transmission of election results is merely supportive and not a replacement for manual transmission.

This came on a day former Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Mike Igini, blamed the Judiciary for recurring challenges in the electoral system.

He also faulted the National Assembly’s decision to retain manual collation as a backup to electronic transmission of election results in the amended Electoral Act.

Signing of the amended Act came days after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the time-table for the 2027 general elections.

The signing ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00pm, with principal officers of the National Assembly in attendance.

Recall that the National Assembly had on Tuesday, passed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill into law.
The amendment came amid intense public debate over electronic transmission of election results in real-time.

Last week, protests rocked the National Assembly complex as civil society organisations and some opposition figures mounted sustained pressure on the National Assembly to mandate live transmission of results from polling units directly to INEC’s central server.

They argued that it will reduce result manipulation and enhance credibility of the electoral process.

However, the All Progressives Congress and some stakeholders expressed concerns over the technical feasibility of real-time transmission in areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure, making a case for a phased or hybrid approach that allows manual collation where electronic systems fail.