By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (PRECISE POST) — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has addressed concerns surrounding the February 21, 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, clarifying that no voters were migrated to new polling units and confirming that 93 percent of results have been uploaded to its result portal.
In a statement signed by Wilfred Ifogah released on the official X handle of the Commission @inecnigeria on Sunday, Acting Director of Voter Education and Publicity, the Commission said elections were conducted for Chairmanship positions in the six Area Councils of the FCT and for 62 Councillorship seats. Results for all councils were declared late Saturday, except for Kuje Area Council, which was announced at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 22.
INEC commended residents of the FCT for what it described as their peaceful conduct and cooperation throughout the electoral process.
According to the Commission’s Election Operations Dashboard, 45 percent of polling units had opened by 8:30 a.m. on election day, while all polling units were confirmed open by 10:00 a.m. However, the Commission acknowledged that some voters experienced difficulties locating their designated polling units.
Responding to claims that voters were moved to unfamiliar polling locations, INEC categorically denied any migration of voters. Instead, it explained that it created split polling units in locations with more than 1,250 registered voters to ease congestion. The new units, it said, were situated only a few meters from the original polling units within the same premises.
The Commission recalled that the Register of Voters was displayed at designated centres and split polling units four days before the election to enable voters confirm their details. It also disclosed that text messages and emails were sent to affected voters between February 18 and February 21 as reminders of their polling unit locations.
INEC further disclosed that as of 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 93 percent of polling unit results had been uploaded to its INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. Members of the public can access results from the six Area Councils through the portal.
While expressing concern over voter apathy, the Commission noted a marked improvement in turnout compared to the 2022 Area Council elections. In 2022, 148,685 voters participated, representing 9.4 percent of registered voters. In the 2026 polls, over 239,210 voters cast their ballots, approximately 15 percent of the 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT.
INEC attributed the delay in announcing results for Kuje Area Council to the difficult terrain of Kabi Ward, which slowed final collation.
The Commission thanked the electorate for their participation, describing the turnout across the six Area Councils as a sign of sustained public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process and electoral system.
