OVER 1.5 MILLION FCT VOTERS COLLECT PVCs AHEAD OF COUNCIL POLLS – INEC
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By: Sefiu Ajape
The Independent National Electoral Commission has revealed that more than 1.5 million voters in the Federal Capital Territory have collected their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information & Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, INEC stated that as of the close of PVC collection on February 10, a total of 1,587,025 voters out of the 1,680,315 registered in the FCT had obtained their cards.
The commission explained that the figure represents a 94.4 per cent collection rate, leaving 93,290 PVCs yet to be collected.
Providing a breakdown across the Area Councils, the statement noted, “Abaji Area Council recorded 75,517 collected PVCs out of 79,471 registered voters, representing 95.0 per cent collection rate.
“Bwari Area Council recorded 276,360 collected PVCs out of 295,711 registered voters, translating to 93.5 per cent.
“Gwagwalada Area Council recorded 196,184 collected PVCs out of 208,057 registered voters, representing 94.3 per cent.
“Kuje Area Council recorded 144,109 collected PVCs out of 148,286 registered voters, representing an outstanding 97.2 per cent collection rate.
“Kwali Area Council recorded 99,774 collected PVCs out of 107,203 registered voters, representing 93.1 per cent.
“Municipal Area Council recorded 795,081 collected PVCs out of 841,587 registered voters, representing 94.5 per cent.”
INEC further disclosed that several Registration Areas achieved collection rates above 99 per cent, reflecting strong grassroots participation across the territory.
“The Commission commends voters in the FCT for their responsiveness and cooperation throughout the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and PVC collection exercises.
“The impressive figures recorded across the Area Councils indicate strong citizen readiness to participate in the electoral process,” the statement added.
The commission reiterated that only duly registered voters with valid PVCs will be permitted to vote on Election Day and assured residents that all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.
Hotjist reports that voters in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali will go to the polls to elect chairmen and councillors.
The campaign period, which commenced in September 2025, is expected to end today, with 68 positions up for contest, including six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship positions.
Earlier on Thursday, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, declared Friday a work-free day and announced a restriction of movement from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday ahead of the elections.
Wike made the announcement during a special broadcast on national television and radio stations, urging residents to actively participate in the voting process.
He explained that the work-free day and movement restriction were approved by President Bola Tinubu to enable residents travel to their communities and ensure smooth conduct of the elections.
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