The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported a significant increase in voter turnout in the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, attributing smoother voting to the use of split polling units created within the same premises to ease congestion.
In a post-election briefing on Sunday, the said Saturday’s polls, held on February 21, 2026, recorded over 239,210 voters, about 15 per cent of the 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT. This marks a notable improvement from the 2022 Area Council elections, which saw 148,685 voters, representing 9.4 per cent turnout.
The elections were conducted for chairmanship positions in the six Area Councils of the FCT and for 62 councillorship seats. While results were announced late Saturday, the outcome of the Kuje Area Council was declared at 3:30pm on Sunday, February 22, due to collation delays caused by the difficult terrain of Kabi Ward.
INEC said its Election Operations Dashboard showed that 45 per cent of polling units opened by 8:30am on election day, with all units operational by 10:00am. Although some voters experienced difficulty locating their polling units, the Commission dismissed claims that voters were migrated to new locations.
According to INEC, the Commission only created split polling units in locations with more than 1,250 registered voters to prevent overcrowding. These split units, it clarified, were situated a few meters away from the original polling units and within the same premises.
To aid voter awareness, INEC said it displayed the Register of Voters at designated centres and split units four days before the election, allowing voters to confirm their details and locations. The Commission also sent text messages and emails to affected voters between February 18 and 21, 2026, as reminders to help them identify their correct polling units.
INEC further disclosed that by 2:00pm on Sunday, February 22, the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal had reached 93 per cent, enabling the public to access results across the six Area Councils.
While expressing concern about persistent voter apathy, the Commission said the improved participation reflects growing public confidence in the electoral process and democratic governance in the FCT. It commended residents for their peaceful conduct and cooperation throughout the polls, describing the exercise as a step forward in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
