By Laraba MUREY
Original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory are lamenting the unseating of their political elites from the National Assembly, regretting that Abuja natives will have just a single representation in the 10th NASS.
The indigenous people are threatening to take out their anger on non-indigenes whom they accuse of conspiring against their candidates in the elections.
Their angst may not be unconnected with the upset in the FCT Senate due to the widespread victory of the Labour Party which saw Ireti Heebah Kingibe, a Kano indigene, defeating incumbent senator and Minority Leader, Philip Aduda.
Aduda and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Micah Jiba, both lost their bids to return to the National Assembly.
The duo were defeated by Kingibe and Obika Chinedu both of the LP. Both polled 202,175 and 201,308 votes in the February 25, National Assembly elections, to defeat Aduda and Jibah, who got 100,544 and 58,809 votes, respectively.
Former chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council and grassroots politician, Hon. Angulu Dobi of the All Progressives Congress, APC, came third in the senate election with 78,905 votes.
Rising from an emergency meeting, weekend, some indigenous people under the aegis of Coalition of FCT Indigenes and Stakeholders Forum, said they were miffed by a conspiracy by other Nigerians they have solidly stood behind and supported for electoral and other positions in the nation’s capital.
Coordinator of the forum, Comrade Habakkuk Lukman, decried a situation where the only seat Abuja natives occupied at the National Assembly has been taken away from them through “election conspiracy and rigging” by other Nigerians.
He threatened that, “we will direct all indigenous communities to withdraw all support being enjoyed by none indigenes, especially the Igbo whom we have lived with peacefully, but sadly they went ahead to conspire and vote against the only indigenous seat we have at the National Assembly during Saturday’ general elections.”
The original inhabitants added that they have “accommodated them for years, and given them all the necessary protection over the years, ranging from the rampant demolition by the FCDA.
“In the history of Nigeria, no state has accommodated the Igbo more than we have done. We have treated them like part of us and most of their children were born here, and in some cases, we even inter-marry, but they did not consider these.
“They mobilized themselves and went to collect the only seat we have at the National Assembly without considering our plight.”
Meanwhile, the NNPP, PDP, and PRP candidates have rejected the results, alleging there were irregularities.
The natives, however, have a representation from the Abuja South Federal Constituency with the victory of Abdulrahman Ajiya of the APC.
Ajiya, who is the immediate past chairman of Abaji Area Council, won the battle to represent the constituency which consists of Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Kuje area councils with 51, 502 votes.
He defeated the incumbent, Hassan Sokodabo of the PDP who got 47,376 votes.
