By Mercy Peter
No fewer than 1, 680,315 registered voters are expected to participate in the February 26 Council poll in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wednesday published and presented the revised Register of Voters for the Federal Capital Territory to political parties.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Idris, who made the presentation at a Stakeholders’ Meeting with political parties in Abuja, said the revised Register supersedes all previous registers for the Federal Capital Territory.
He noted that the occasion was a critical constitutional and legal requirement in the Commission’s preparations for the polls.
Malam Idris recalled that INEC resumed the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on August 18, 2025, beginning with online pre-registration and followed by physical registration across the country from September 29, 2025.
He explained that in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the CVR exercise in the FCT was suspended on October 12, 2025, to allow the Commission revise the voters’ register for the Area Council Election.
According to him, the revision of the register was conducted pursuant to Section 10(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and involved biometric de-duplication of voter records, the public display of the register for claims and objections, and the compilation of a supplementary list generated from the exercise.
“The revised Register of Voters now supersedes all previous registers for the Federal Capital Territory,” the REC stated.
He disclosed that the number of registered voters in the FCT rose from 1,570,307 in 2023 to 1,680,315, representing a significant increase. He added that detailed statistical breakdowns of the register were provided to political parties at the meeting to enhance transparency and confidence in the process.
Briefing stakeholders on the Commission’s level of preparedness, Malam Idris said INEC had already carried out a wide range of pre-election activities ahead of the February 21, 2026, Area Council Election, which will fill six chairmanship positions and 62 councillorship seats across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
He listed completed and ongoing activities to include the monitoring of party primaries, publication of final lists of candidates, commencement of campaign monitoring, receipt of non-sensitive election materials, activation and testing of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voter education and sensitisation programmes, sustained stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The REC called on political parties and candidates to maintain the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the FCT, while urging them to intensify voter mobilisation and issue-based campaigning ahead of the election.
He also announced that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters, as well as for applicants who sought transfer of polling units or updates to their records during the CVR exercise, have been delivered to the FCT. He said the Commission would announce the commencement date for PVC collection in due course.
INEC has announced the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in Anambra State.
The CVR exercise in Anambra was suspended on July 20, 2025, to enable the Commission clean up the voters’ register and produce and distribute PVCs ahead of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in the state.
According to INEC, the resumption of the CVR at the Anambra State INEC office and the 21 Local Government Area offices will enable eligible Nigerians to register for the first time, update their voter records, apply for replacement of lost or damaged PVCs, and transfer their voting locations, in preparation for the 2027 General Election.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to credible, inclusive and transparent elections, urging eligible citizens to take advantage of the CVR exercise to ensure their participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
