Over 1.5m voters head to FCT polls as INEC closes campaigns

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that more than 1.5 million voters have collected their Permanent Voter Cards across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the February 21, 2026, elections.

The announcement came as the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, declared Friday, February 20, a work-free day and ordered a restriction of movement from 8pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday to ensure a smooth voting process.

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory will head to the polls to elect chairmen and councillors in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari Area Council, Gwagwalada Area Council, Kuje Area Council, Abaji Area Council, and Kwali Area Council.

A total of 68 positions are being contested, including six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship roles.

In a statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Muhammed Haruka, the commission said 1,680,315 voters were registered in the FCT, with 1,587,025 PVCs collected — representing a 94.4 per cent collection rate. About 93,290 PVCs remain uncollected.

The commission noted strong turnout across all councils, with several registration areas recording collection rates above 99 per cent, describing the figures as evidence of high citizen readiness for the polls. INEC reiterated that only voters with valid PVCs would be allowed to vote.

In a broadcast earlier on Thursday, Wike urged residents to participate actively, saying the work-free day and movement restriction were approved by President Bola Tinubu to allow residents travel to their communities and vote without disruption.

He called on residents to conduct themselves peacefully and respect the outcome of the election, expressing hope that credible leaders would emerge to drive development, peace and prosperity in the territory.

Meanwhile, political realignments emerged ahead of the vote. The Peoples Democratic Party chairmanship candidate for AMAC, Zadna Dantani, withdrew from the race and endorsed the All Progressives Congress candidate, Christopher Makaleng, citing consultations and the intervention of Wike.

The withdrawal followed a similar move by PDP candidate Julius Adamu, who stepped down in Bwari in support of APC candidate Joshua Musa.

However, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, insisted that FCT residents — not political leaders — would determine the outcome of the elections. He made the remark while campaigning for SDP AMAC chairmanship candidate Obinna Simon, popularly known as MC Tagwaye.

The elections are expected to shape grassroots governance across the FCT, with residents casting ballots for new or returning local council leaders.