FCT Election 2026 Live Updates: 1.5 Million Voters Set to Cast Ballots as Abuja Decides
FCT election: Tinubu sends message to INEC
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the weekend elections to inspire confidence in the electorate regarding the electoral process.
Tinubu gave the charge to the Prof. Joash Amupitan-led Commission in a statement obtained by Legit.ng on Friday, February 20, and signed by Bayo Onanuga, his spokesperson.
Tinubu specifically admonished INEC “to take all necessary measures to bolster voters’ confidence by ensuring timely accreditation, smooth voting processes, accurate collation, and prompt transmission of results, in line with the 2026 Electoral Act."
The full statement by the Nigerian leader can be read below via X:
FCT election 2026: Kingibe speaks on curfew
Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the FCT, has condemned the curfew imposed by Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, ahead of Saturday’s area council elections.
In a special broadcast on national television and radio stations, Wike had declared Friday, February 20, as a work-free day in the nation’s capital ahead of the council polls. He also announced a restriction of human and vehicular movement in the FCT from 8 pm on Friday, February 20, to 6 pm on Saturday, February 21.
However, in a statement on Friday, February 20, by Matilda Duncan, her special assistant on media, Kingibe described Wike’s action as “authoritarian, ill-considered, and unacceptable in a democratic society,” Channels TV noted.
CSO flags FCT election security
The Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), a civil society organisation, has raised security concerns ahead of the area council elections in the FCT, urging proactive measures to prevent violence and ensure credible polls.
As reported on Friday, February 20, by The Cable, BBYDI, through its citizen-led observation platform BallotEyes, said some councils remain vulnerable to election-related violence based on historical trends and recent field observations.
Source: Twitter
