Indigenes of Abuja have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to respect the Court of Appeal judgement which declared that Abuja, the FCT, should be accorded a status equivalent to that of a state.
They are also demanding a democratically elected Governor for the FCT by 2027, urging President Tinubu to declare the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, a Sole Administrator until that election is conducted.
The renewed demand was articulated by a coalition of indigenous groups and long-term residents under the banner of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum.
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They called on the newly appointed Chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to immediately commence preparations for a governorship election in the nation's capital.
This demand, articulated during a recent press briefing in Abuja, is based on a recent Court of Appeal judgement which confirmed that the FCT should be accorded a status equivalent to that of a state.
The group also urged President Bola Tinubu to rename the current Minister of the FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as the Sole Administrator of the territory to complete what they term his "first tenure," paving the way for a democratically elected governor in the subsequent cycle.
The press conference, titled "Fulfilling the Democratic Status of Abuja," was led by its Coordinator, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara.
Elder Dara stated that the time has come for the full implication of the court's judgement to be actualized, granting every Nigerian living in the FCT the right to not only contest for but also to elect their own Governor and members of a State House of Assembly.
Elder Dara said, "The recent judgement of the Court of Appeal is not a mere legal opinion; it is a binding pronouncement that has clarified the constitutional standing of the FCT. For too long, the citizens of Abuja have been treated as second-class voters, participating in presidential elections but denied the fundamental right to elect their own chief executive and legislative assembly for the territory. This democratic deficit ends now."
To ensure stability and continuity, the group argued for maintaining the current administrative structure temporarily.
"In the spirit of a seamless transition and to avoid a political vacuum, we urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately rename the Minister of the FCT, His Excellency Barr. Nyesom Wike, as the Sole Administrator of the FCT to complete his first tenure, which is already in progress," Elder Dara stated. "This gesture will allow for the completion of ongoing projects and provide INEC with ample time to prepare for the gubernatorial election, where every eligible Nigerian resident in the FCT can contest and be elected as Governor or Assembly member. The era of political exclusion in Abuja is over."
CHRICED director adds voice to statehood call
Recently, Dr. Zikirullahi Ibrahim, CHRICED's Executive Director, added his voice to the call for an Abuja State that would allow indigenous people to govern their own affairs and preserve their heritage.
Speaking at a training for journalists in Abuja, organized by the Network of Journalists on Indigenous Issues (NEJII) with the support of CHRICED and the MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Ibrahim argued for the viability of a new state carved out of the FCT.
"Abuja sits on over 8,000 square kilometers, larger than Lagos," he said. "If part of it can serve as the capital city, another part can be a state where the natives can manage their affairs."
He also lamented the long-standing neglect of the Abuja Original Inhabitants (AOIs) and the absence of justice nearly five decades after their land was acquired by the federal government.
He described their condition as one of statelessness and dispossession, stressing that despite repeated promises of compensation and relocation, most AOIs remain without land or legal recognition.
"These people are landless and stateless because Abuja is not recognized as a state," he explained. "Whenever development comes, the bulldozers and the military push them out, demolish their homes, and erase their communities. The worst part is that government went ahead to declare the land as virgin, as if nobody ever existed there."
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Dr. Ibrahim recalled that the initial plan during the creation of the FCT was to compensate affected communities with N2.8 million, while the total national budget at that time in 1976 was about N400 million. He added that the process was never completed before the death of General Murtala Mohammed, who initiated the relocation.
The demand strikes at the heart of a long-standing constitutional and political debate.
Since its inception, the FCT has been administered by a Minister appointed by the President, unlike the 36 states which have elected governors. This has often been a point of agitation for the original inhabitants and residents who argue that the current system denies them full democratic representation.
