With the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections drawing closer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that more than 1.6 million residents are now eligible to vote in the polls scheduled to hold in 18 days.
The Commission said the updated figure followed a recent revision of the voters’ register, bringing the total number of registered voters in the FCT to 1,680,315.
The FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Malam Aminu Idris, made this known on Tuesday, the 3rd of February, 2026, in Abuja while addressing participants at the INEC Forum for Media Executives, Producers, Reporters and On-Air Personalities, ahead of the 21st of February, 2026, Area Council elections.
He said, “Following the revision of the register of voters, the total number of registered voters in the FCT is now 1,680,315.”
Idris explained that INEC has approved measures to decongest heavily populated Registration Area Centres (RACs) in order to enhance operational efficiency and ease the movement of election personnel and materials on polling day.
According to him, additional sub-RACs have been established in Dutse Alhaji and Kubwa Wards of Bwari Area Council, as well as in Gwarinpa and Kabusa Wards within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The REC also announced that elections will not take place in four polling units in the FCT due to the absence of registered voters.
“There are three polling units in Garki Ward and one in Jiwa Ward where elections will not take place due to zero registration,” he said.
Idris reiterated INEC’s commitment to ensuring the credibility and accuracy of the voters’ register ahead of the polls.
Speaking on preparations, he said the Commission has recorded substantial progress in several areas, including oversight of party primaries, release of final candidate lists, receipt and sorting of non-sensitive election materials, and activation of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.
“We have commenced the monitoring of public campaigns, taken delivery of non-sensitive materials, opened portals for observer accreditation and recruitment of ad-hoc staff, and activated BVAS devices in readiness for configuration,” Idris noted.
He added that accreditation of media organisations is ongoing and will end on the 8th of February, 2026, while the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at Area Council offices will continue until the 10th of February, 2026.
According to him, INEC will also conduct a mock accreditation exercise in 289 polling units across the six Area Councils to test election technologies, including voter accreditation, voting processes and results transmission to the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
“The purpose is to test-run the technologies that will be deployed on election day, from BVAS accreditation to voting and dummy results upload,” Idris said.
He added that details of the affected polling units have been made available on the Commission’s website.
Idris urged the media to play an active role in voter education and in combating misinformation.
“Public confidence in elections is influenced not only by how the process is conducted, but also by how it is reported. We need accuracy over speed and facts over speculation,” he said.
He assured FCT residents that INEC remains fully committed to delivering “a peaceful, transparent, credible and inclusive” election, stressing that achieving this goal requires the cooperation of a responsible and professional media.
Also speaking at the forum, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, disclosed that the Commission has procured and batched almost all non-sensitive materials required for the February 21 Area Council elections.
He said the materials have been arranged according to the six Area Councils, 62 Wards and 2,822 polling units in the FCT.
“We have acquired virtually all the non-sensitive materials required for the election and batched them according to the six Area Councils, 62 Wards and 2,822 polling units in the Territory,” Haruna said.
He further revealed that the printing of sensitive materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, is progressing smoothly and may be concluded ahead of schedule.
“As is our established practice, the Commission will, in the presence of party agents, security personnel, civil society organisations and the media, take delivery of these sensitive materials from the FCT Branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday, February 18, for distribution to Area Council offices ahead of the polls at 8:30 a.m. on February 21,” he said.
Haruna also confirmed that sufficient BVAS devices are being prepared for deployment across all polling units in the Territory.
“Adequate BVAS machines are being prepared for deployment to all the polling units in the Territory,” he said.
Explaining the significance of the exercise, he noted that although Area Council elections are similar to local government polls conducted by state electoral bodies, the FCT occupies a unique constitutional position.
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“Section 299 of the Constitution says the FCT shall be treated as if it were one of the states. In practice, FCT Area Council elections are like governorship elections in the 36 states,” Haruna said.
He emphasised that the forthcoming polls will be the first Area Council elections in the FCT since the 2022 Electoral Act extended council tenure from three to four years.
“No stone must be left unturned to ensure that the election is free, fair and credible,” he said.
Haruna also appealed to the media to promote voter participation and adhere strictly to professional standards.
“I would like to appeal to the media to use their platforms to educate and mobilise eligible voters to come out and vote. Your coverage should be informed by a sound understanding of the Constitution, Electoral Law and the Commission’s Guidelines,” he said.
On the election timetable, he disclosed that INEC has already completed 10 out of the 13 key activities, including the publication of the final Register of Voters on the 14th of January.
He noted that the remaining activities include “Publication of the Notice of Poll on February 7, i.e., in four days’ time, the end of campaigns by the Political Parties on February 19, and the Election Day itself on February 21”.