17 Parties Make Final List for 2026 FCT Area Council Polls, Says INEC

17 Parties Make Final List for 2026 FCT Area Council Polls, Says INEC

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election, with 17 political parties making the cut.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, announced this in a statement on Monday, stressing that the publication brings the candidate nomination process to a close.

“It will be recalled that on 18th August 2025, the Commission published the personal particulars of candidates that emerged from primaries conducted by political parties for the 2026 FCT Area Council Election,” Olumekun said.

According to him, all 17 political parties submitted the particulars of their candidates via Form EC9 before the deadline of 6:00 p.m. on Monday, 11th August 2025. The list, he noted, reflects changes arising from withdrawals and substitutions made within the stipulated period.

“With this publication, no further withdrawal or replacement of candidates will be allowed except in the event of death of a candidate or running mate before Election Day, as provided by Section 34(1) of the Electoral Act,” he added.

The Commission further disclosed that the final list, which includes details of candidates’ party affiliation, age, gender, and academic qualifications, has been uploaded to its website and social media platforms for public information.

Olumekun reminded voters that the FCT Area Council election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, 21st February 2026.