By GABRIEL GWAJIME
Chairman-elect of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu has expressed readiness to work with contestants from other parties to develop the area councils.
He said he is looking forward to a meeting with candidates of different political parties that contested the February 12, 2022 FCT Area Council election with him.
Zakka who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Professor Sani Saka of the University of Abuja. He polled 19,302 votes to defeat his closest opponent of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Karshi who polled 13,240 votes.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday in Abuja, when officials of the 2022 AMAC Transition Committee paid him a congratulatory visit, Zakka Maikalangu said there was need to exchange ideas with the different candidates on how to make AMAC better. He pledged to carry everyone along for the development of AMAC.
According to him: “First of all, I want to say that it was God that made my victory on Saturday to be possible. I am also grateful to the people of AMAC, who came and voted massively for our great party, the PDP, to ensure that we won the election. We look forward to a smooth transition in government.
“I am happy that the AMAC Transition Committee thought it worthy to organise a meeting of all candidates who participated in the just concluded FCT Area Council election. We are interested in working together to exchange ideas for the betterment of AMAC. They have ideas that we don’t have, so we need to work together to harmonise ideas to take AMAC to greater heights. We look forward to meeting with them.”
Also speaking at the occasion, Chairman of the 2022 AMAC Transition Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, who presented a congratulatory letter to Maikalangu, said the out-going Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, set up the committee in December last year to ensure that candidates contesting the Chairmanship position would know the numerous projects of the administration for sustainability.
“On December 22, 2021, AMAC Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, inaugurated the AMAC 2022 Transition Committee and appointed me the chairman as he came up with the wisdom to set up this committee because some candidates contest elections in some states without any idea of what they are contesting for.
“The agenda of the committee is in two phases. We are done with the first phase, which is bringing the candidates on board to know the projects of the Council. This second phase is to ensure smooth transition from the present administration to the next.
“We have concluded plans to invite all the candidates who participated in the Chairmanship election to a meeting with AMAC Chairman, including the Chairman-elect by next week,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Zakka has commiserated with the people of Orozo political ward over the death of two voters during the just concluded election last Saturday”.
He described the incident as unfortunate, calling on their families to take heart and put their trust in God.
He said: “I am happy that I won the election. I know that so much is expected of me, and I pray to God to give me the wisdom to lead my people, as you all know, people came out en mass to express themselves through the ballot box. So, I pray to carry everyone along. I am grateful to the people for their massive support. It is not easy for people to leave everything they are doing to come and vote. People came out since 6 am and stayed till 8 pm just to vote for me.
“Election is not a do or die affair. In the morning, I was happy yesterday. But from 6 pm, I was unhappy because we lost two people at Orozo. Elections don’t have to go that way. Power comes from God. You don’t look for power by killing human beings or by importing thugs. People should be allowed to vote for candidates of their choice.
“To the security agents, wherever you are posted, do your work diligently. Where were they when voters were being killed at Orozo? Where were they when thugs came and carted away our ballot boxes? I was not happy. However, I thank FCT residents for being patient. They came out in their numbers and voted for PDP.
“To my opponents – I call them my friends – I will forever love them because I have been together with them. I am not that type that will just forget then. I will surely carry everyone along. So, I am pleading with them to come forward with whatever policy they have so that we can marry them and make sure that AMAC is great.”
