The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is poised for a significant democratic exercise with the Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026. These polls represent a crucial litmus test for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the newly enacted 2026 Electoral Act, which was recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu. Beyond the FCT, INEC is also conducting bye-elections in selected constituencies in Rivers and Kano states, making this a strategic preview of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

INEC has confirmed a high level of preparedness and voter engagement for the FCT elections. According to Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, an impressive 1,587,025 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected out of 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT, achieving a 94.4 percent collection rate. This high turnout, with some Registration Areas exceeding 99 percent collection, underscores strong citizen readiness and grassroots participation. The commission emphasized that only duly registered voters with valid PVCs will be allowed to cast their ballots on Election Day.

The FCT elections are unique in Nigeria, as they are the only local government polls directly conducted by INEC, rather than by state electoral commissions. Voters across the six Area Councils – Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali – will elect six chairmen and 62 councillors across 68 constituencies. A hallmark of the 2026 Electoral Act, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, and results will be electronically transmitted to INEC's Result Viewing Portal (IReV), reinforcing transparency and credibility in the electoral process.

Security measures are being rigorously enforced to ensure a peaceful and orderly election. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has declared a 12-hour restriction of movement across the FCT, running from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on election day. Commissioner of Police Miller Dantawaye stated that this directive applies to all persons except essential service providers and duly accredited election officials. Complementing this, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike declared Friday, February 20, a work-free day to facilitate voter participation and announced a broader temporary restriction of movement from 8:00 p.m. on February 20 to 6:00 p.m. on February 21, 2026. Residents have been urged by both the police and the minister to remain calm, law-abiding, and supportive of security personnel to help deliver safe, free, and credible elections.

However, the electoral process in the FCT has not been without controversy. The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed dismay over the unconsented withdrawal of some of its chairmanship candidates from the forthcoming elections. Ini Ememobong, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, strongly condemned these actions as "anti-democratic" and a subversion of healthy electoral contests. Specifically, Julius Adamu, the PDP chairmanship candidate for Bwari Area Council, and Zadna Dantani, the PDP candidate for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), both withdrew from their respective races and endorsed candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). These withdrawals reportedly followed interventions by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who is known to be sympathetic to a faction of the PDP led by Mohammed Abdulrahman.

Mr. Ememobong further alleged that these manipulations were orchestrated by former, expelled party leaders working to undermine the PDP in favor of President Bola Tinubu. He warned that such tactics could set a dangerous precedent for the 2027 presidential election, where candidates might be pressured to step down to support the president’s second-term bid. The PDP leadership views these acts as "ignoble, reckless, and shameless," asserting that such individuals were excommunicated to allow the party to rebuild a strong opposition. Despite these challenges, the PDP urged voters to safeguard their votes and ensure that presiding officers transmit Form EC8A immediately after announcing results at the polling units, emphasizing the importance of protecting the integrity of the ballot.