By Adesakin Adefemi
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has assured residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of a peaceful, transparent, and credible Area Council election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Speaking at a high-level stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, he said the Commission has substantially concluded preparations, describing the exercise as a shared responsibility among political parties, security agencies, civil society groups, the media, and voters.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that 1,680,315 registered voters will cast their ballots in 2,822 polling units across the six Area Councils Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali. A total of 570 candidates are contesting for 68 constituencies, including Chairmanship, Vice-Chairmanship, and 62 Councillorship seats.
He emphasized that the FCT Area Council election remains the only local government poll conducted by INEC.
According to him, the Commission has implemented 11 out of 13 activities outlined in its timetable.
The two remaining milestones are the conclusion of campaigns at midnight on Thursday, February 19, and Election Day itself on Saturday, February 21. PVC distribution ended on February 10, with 106,099 cards collected during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, signaling strong voter interest.
To ensure transparency, INEC has accredited 89 domestic and foreign observer groups and 700 journalists from 72 media organizations to monitor and cover the election.
The Commission confirmed that the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, with results uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). A mock accreditation conducted in 289 polling units returned satisfactory results.
Logistically, INEC has secured 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles, and 14 boats for Election Day deployment, with polling units expected to open promptly at 8:30 a.m. Prof. Amupitan reiterated that INEC has no preferred candidate or political party and warned against vote trading, disclosing that the EFCC and ICPC will deploy personnel to apprehend offenders. “Vote buying undermines democracy and will not be tolerated,” he warned.
FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Aminu Kasimu Idris, said preparations began on January 22, 2025, with party primaries monitoring, publication of candidates’ particulars, voter register display, and PVC distribution. He noted that the Commission is re-displaying the register at polling units to help voters identify their voting locations, addressing challenges from the 2022 elections.
National Commissioner supervising the FCT, Mallam Muhammad Kuku Haruna, described the meeting as one of the final engagements before Election Day.
He revealed that on-the-spot assessments in Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Bwari Area Councils showed satisfactory levels of preparedness, stressing the constitutional importance of the FCT election as the only council election conducted by INEC since 1999.
Representing IPAC, FCT Chairman’s Secretary Adama Umar Yahaya commended INEC’s transparency and reaffirmed political parties’ commitment to peaceful and credible elections.
NYSC FCT Coordinator, Ateli Samson, praised the Commission for intensive training of corps members serving as ad hoc staff, assuring continued support and supervision.
Commissioner of Police, Miller G. Dantawaye, announced massive security deployment across polling units and strategic locations. He said security agencies have conducted multiple stakeholder engagements and visited identified flashpoints to guarantee voter safety, urging residents to turn out without fear.
The forum concluded with an interactive session where stakeholders raised questions and received clarifications.
Shortly after, Prof. Amupitan and members of the Commission proceeded to an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting to harmonize security strategies ahead of the poll.
