The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Joash Amupitan, has reassured stakeholders that the Commission is fully prepared to conduct credible, transparent and peaceful Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja ahead of the polls, Amupitan emphasized that the success of the election depends not only on INEC but also on the cooperation of political parties, candidates, security agencies, civil society groups, the media, and voters.
He noted that 1,680,315 registered voters are expected to cast ballots across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils of the FCT, with 570 candidates contesting for chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions in 68 constituencies.
According to him, the FCT election remains unique as it is the only local government poll conducted directly by INEC, making it a benchmark for elections conducted nationwide.
He therefore urged stakeholders to help sustain and improve the credibility already associated with the process.
The INEC chairman disclosed that virtually all activities contained in the election timetable had been completed, leaving only the conclusion of campaigns and Election Day itself.
He reminded political parties that campaigns, must end at midnight on February 19 in compliance with electoral regulations.
On voter participation, Amupitan revealed that 106,099 Permanent Voter Cards were collected following the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, describing the turnout as evidence of strong public interest in the election.
He encouraged all PVC holders to participate peacefully and orderly on Election Day.
To enhance transparency, INEC accredited 89 domestic and international observer groups and 700 journalists from 72 media organisations to monitor and cover the elections.
He further stated that over 11,800 election officials have been trained and deployed, supported by supervisory and technical staff to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise in line with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.
Amupitan also announced that the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, would be deployed across all polling units, with results to be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
On logistics, he said the Commission has secured vehicles, motorcycles and boats required for election duty, assuring voters that polling units are expected to open promptly at 8:30 a.m. across the territory.
The INEC chairman, however, raised strong concerns about vote buying and selling, warning that security and anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, would be deployed to polling units to arrest offenders.
He stressed that vote trading undermines democracy and warned that anyone caught engaging in the practice would face prosecution.
Amupitan reiterated that INEC remains neutral, insisting the Commission has no preferred candidate or political party but is solely committed to providing voters the opportunity to freely choose their representatives.
He called on political leaders to caution their supporters against violence, urging security agencies to remain professional, the media to report responsibly, and observers to maintain objectivity throughout the process.
Earlier, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Malam Aminu Idris, appealed to voters to turn out peacefully and urged the media to promote accurate information.
Idris also called on party agents and observers to perform their roles responsibly, and encouraged ad hoc staff and security agencies to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.
 While reiterating the preparedness of the commission, he said preparations for the election began in January 2025 with monitoring of party primaries, publication of candidates’ particulars, supervision of campaigns, conduct of voter registration and distribution of PVCs.
He added that the voters’ register had been shared with political parties while polling unit registers are being displayed to help voters confirm their voting locations ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Source: theabujainquirer.com
