The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has cautioned political actors and voters against vote buying as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) prepares for its Area Council election on February 21, 2026. Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, he assured residents of a peaceful and credible exercise, stressing that the success of the poll depends on collective responsibility.
According to him, 1,680,315 registered voters are expected to vote across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils — Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali. A total of 570 candidates are contesting 68 positions, including Chairmanship, Vice-Chairmanship and Councillorship seats. He noted that the FCT Area Council poll remains the only local government election conducted by INEC nationwide.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission has completed 11 out of 13 scheduled activities, with campaigns set to end on February 19. He added that 106,099 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were collected during the Continuous Voter Registration period, while 89 observer groups and 700 journalists have been accredited. The upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed, with results uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
On logistics and security, the INEC Chairman said over 1,100 vehicles, 620 motorcycles and 14 boats have been secured to aid deployment. He warned that vote trading would not be tolerated, revealing that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) will deploy personnel to arrest offenders.
Security agencies also pledged full readiness. The Commissioner of Police for the FCT Command assured residents of adequate deployment to polling units and identified flashpoints. After the forum, INEC officials met with security chiefs under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to fine-tune strategies for Saturday’s poll.