FCT Area Council Poll Records 15% Turnout, Up from 9.4% in 2022

FCT Area Council Poll Records 15% Turnout, Up from 9.4% in 2022

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the February 21, 2026 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory recorded a voter turnout of about 15 per cent, a notable increase from the 9.4 per cent recorded in the 2022 election.

In a statement signed on Sunday by the Ag. Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, the Commission said over 239,210 voters participated in the exercise out of the 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT.

INEC conducted elections for the positions of Chairman in the six Area Councils as well as for 62 Councillorship seats. The results were announced late Saturday, except for Kuje Area Council, which was declared at 3:30pm on Sunday, February 22.

The Commission attributed the delay in Kuje to logistical challenges. According to the statement, “The delay in the results of Kuje Area Council is due to the difficult terrain of Kabi ward, which delayed the final collation of the Area Council results.”

Providing updates on the conduct of the poll, INEC disclosed that its Election Operations Dashboard showed that 45 per cent of polling units had opened for voting as at 8:30am on election day, while all polling units were confirmed open by 10:00am.

The Commission acknowledged that some voters encountered challenges locating their designated polling units.

However, it dismissed claims that voters were migrated to new polling units.

“Contrary to the claim in some quarters that some voters were migrated to another/new polling units different from their original polling units, the Commission wishes to state categorically that voters were not migrated,” the statement said.

INEC explained that it created split polling units in large polling units with over 1,250 registered voters to avoid congestion on election day. The split units, it noted, were located a few meters away from the original polling units within the same premises.

The Commission recalled that it displayed the Register of Voters at designated centres and split polling units four days before the election to enable voters confirm their details and polling unit locations.

It also sent text messages and emails to affected voters between Wednesday, February 18 and Saturday, February 21 as reminders to help them identify their current polling units.

On result management, INEC disclosed that as at 2:00pm on Sunday, February 22, the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal had reached 93 per cent.

It added that residents of the FCT and other interested members of the public could access results from the six Area Councils via the portal.

While expressing concern about voter apathy, the Commission noted the improvement in participation compared to the previous election. It stated that in the 2022 Area Council election, 148,685 voters turned out, representing 9.4 per cent of registered voters.

The Commission appreciated residents of the FCT for their peaceful conduct and cooperation throughout the process.

According to the statement, “The participation recorded across the six Area Councils is indicative of citizens’ continued trust in building democracy and the electoral system.”

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the electoral process and enhancing voter participation in future elections.