FCT : INEC Chairman Tasks Staff On Credible Area Councils Election

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Professor. Joash Amupitan wants staff of the Commission in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT to take full responsibility for the successful conduct of the 21st February 2026 Area Councils election.

The INEC Chairman who gave the charge during a meeting with management and staff of the INEC FCT office as part of his readiness assessment visit for Saturday’s election urged them to restore public confidence in the electoral process through diligence, transparency and strict adherence to the law.

He explained that, by constitutional design, the FCT has the status of a state, making the Area Council election the only local government election conducted by INEC nationwide.

Professor Joash Amupitan called on staff to rise above personal interests and act strictly within the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines.

He warned that false declarations and dereliction of duty would attract legal consequences under the law.

On the use of technology, Prof. Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to leveraging innovation to strengthen electoral integrity.

He noted that since 2022, INEC has deployed the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS nationwide and expressed satisfaction with the performance of the device during the recent mock accreditation exercise in the FCT.

He urged staff to use technology to the Commission’s advantage and ensure proper reconciliation of results at the point of collation in line with the law, including cross-checking figures with accreditation data before declaration.

He therefore directed that all Registration Area Centres (RACs) be activated on Friday, 20th February, with security personnel and vehicles in place to guarantee seamless deployment of personnel and materials.

According to him, if polling units are set by 8:00 am and voting commences by 8:30 am as scheduled, it would signal seriousness of purpose and enhance public confidence.

On security, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission had conducted a comprehensive risk analysis of the FCT and identified flashpoints in parts of Bwari, Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils saying the commission was working closely with security agencies and the National Peace Committee to ensure adequate protection of personnel, voters and materials

Reaffirming the Commission’s support for the FCT office, the Chairman directed that all approved funds for the Area Council election be released promptly to ensure seamless operations.

Earlier in his remarks, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner REC Mallam Aminu Idris while providing an update on the state of preparedness for the Elections, assured the Chairman that all non-sensitive materials had been deployed to the six area council offices.

He added that the Commission had requested additional support to ensure seamless execution of electoral activities and expressed optimism that by the end of the day, the exact number of staff to be deployed for the election would be ascertained.

Kayode Oyedare, Edited By Grace Namiji