The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will deploy more than 3,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for the upcoming Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) scheduled for February 21, 2026.
According to officials, the 3,345 devices will be distributed across the FCT’s 2,822 polling units. While most devices will be used for voter accreditation on election day, a portion will be kept as backups to ensure a smooth voting process.
A mock accreditation exercise is planned before the polls to test the devices and ensure that election results can be electronically uploaded to INEC’s Result Viewing portal without issues.
The elections will cover all six area councils; Abaji, Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali equivalent to local government areas in other states. A total of 68 positions will be contested: six chairmanship seats, six vice-chairmanship seats, and 62 councillorship positions across the wards.
Seventeen political parties are participating, fielding a total of 637 candidates. This includes 65 candidates vying for chairmanship posts, 65 for vice-chairmanship, and 507 for councillorship seats. Among them, 65 are women contesting various positions, while no candidates with disabilities are listed.
INEC confirmed that 1,680,315 registered voters are cleared to participate, with eligibility restricted to those who possess Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The commission has been distributing PVCs to newly registered voters and those updating or transferring their registration information.
Political campaigns for the elections, which began in September 2025, are set to end on February 19, 2026. INEC is also conducting voter education, stakeholder engagement, campaign monitoring, and coordination with security agencies to ensure a peaceful electoral process.
Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, Aminu Idris, assured residents that every vote would count and expressed optimism about voter turnout, noting that preparations are in place to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
