Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has cautioned staff of the commission against dereliction of duty ahead of the February 21 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.

INEC revealed that it would hire a total of 1,132 vehicles from the transport unions ahead of Saturday’s area council polls.

At the same time, stakeholders appealed to INEC not to sway to the whims of politicians during the area council elections.

Amupitan, who stated spoke in Abuja during an assessment visit and general meeting with FCT staff, described the election as a test case for the commission and an opportunity to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

The INEC boss, in a statement, charged staff of the FCT office to take full ownership of the forthcoming area council elections, warning that any act of dereliction would attract severe consequences.

He said, “You are the foot soldiers. The success of this election rests on how you perform your responsibilities.”

The chairman reminded personnel that “under the Electoral Act, 2022, there are clear consequences for misconduct, including faulty declaration of results”.

He said, “There is a saying in law that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. We need to let everyone know that there are consequences for dereliction of duty.”

Amupitan stressed the need for strict adherence to INEC regulations, proper deployment of technology, and transparent result management.

He also urged electoral officers to be proactive in addressing challenges at the polling unit level.

Amupitan identified punctuality as a key performance indicator for a successful election, directing that all polling units must be set up by 8am so that voting could commence by 8:30am as advertised.

“When you start on time, you close by 2:30 p.m., and results can be concluded before nightfall. That is the beginning of success,” he said.

Amupitan warned that any delays must be communicated to the commission promptly to ensure INEC remained the primary source of information in real time.

Earlier, FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, provided an update on the state of preparedness for the area council elections, assuring the chairman that all non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the six area council offices.

He stated, “We have received all the non-sensitive materials, which have been moved to the area council offices.

“Training of staff commenced on 13th – 15th February 2026 and we are conducting additional training today to address the shortfall in turnout.”

Meanwhile, INEC revealed that it would hire a total of 1,132 vehicles from the transport unions ahead of Saturday’s FCT elections. Amupitan disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with transport union leaders held at FCT INEC Office in Abuja.

He stated that the electoral body would not entertain any excuses from the transport unions, insisting that the services they would render must be in tandem with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they signed with INEC.

Amupitan said, “We are pleased to note that there is a partnership that has been existing for years between INEC and the two unions, especially as it relates to transport logistics. And of course, you know that your election can only be good as your logistics.”

The INEC chairman said the commission’s partnership with the unions showed that they were a critical stakeholder in the electoral process in ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

He, however, expressed concern over some challenges relating to logistics on election day, adding that the services provided by the unions during the Anambra State governorship election was a disaster.

Amupitan stated, “However, we have noticed some challenges in relation to transport logistics, and we are very concerned and worried. I will give you some of the examples, most especially at the last Anambra State Election.

“It was almost a disaster, because we were almost disappointed. The vehicles that were brought by the unions to transport sensitive materials from Enugu to Awka, we were not particularly happy because they were really non-serviceable vehicles.

“And at the last minute, we also found that some of your representatives could not meet up and even discovered that some of the vehicles were farmed out to others.

“And let me also say that we had to revert, in some cases, to Option B, which was having to rely on some vehicles that were brought from other states to be able to meet up.”

Amupitan added, “So this time around, we are talking of hiring about 1,132 vehicles from the two unions, and for an election that will feature about 570 candidates. For the chairmanship and vice chairmanship position, and about 62 or 68 councillorship positions. And you are talking about 2,822 polling units in the FCT, in the six area councils.

“We have emphasised to you in the morning that we don’t want to listen to any excuses. You know, there are some excuses that are genuine, but we don’t even want any excuse, whether genuine or non-genuine.”

He maintained that the target of the electoral body was for the election to commence by 8am.

Responding, Director, Legal, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mercy Ibeh, said most of the things mentioned by Amupitan were not strange to them, adding that issues like this usually form part of the discussion whenever they have a round table to sit and discuss.

NURTW Chairman, FCT, Abdullahi Dauda, said in any programme, there must be challenges, saying once challenges are identified, the next thing is to tackle them.

Nigerian Women Trust Fund said area council or local government elections were critical to a sustainable democratic system in any country.

Its Communication Manager, Mujidat Agbabiaka-Sholeye, said being the closest tier of government to the people, the conduct of the election must be carried out with utmost care, dedication to justice, fairness and accountability.

his submission, legislative expert and public affairs analyst, Mr. Akinloye Oyeniyi, said judging by the outcome of the 2023 general election in the nation’s capital, ordinarily, one should be expecting a tough battle for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) due to various factors.

ADC Slams Wike over ‘War’ Threat

African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemned remarks by Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, describing his declaration of “war” against anti-Tinubu candidates as reckless and inflammatory.

In a statement signed by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party warned that such rhetoric could deepen political tensions and undermine democratic stability.

It insisted that it was the Nigerian people, not Tinubu or any minister, who would determine the outcome of the February 21 elections.

ADC accused Wike and APC of attempting to intimidate voters, stating that such tactics reflect their fear and growing unpopularity.

The party vowed to resist any effort to subvert the will of Nigerians through all lawful and constitutional means.

The spokesman of ADC said the party had taken note of the deeply troubling statement credited to Wike, as reported by several news outlets.

Abdullahi stated, “We consider the minister’s declaration of ‘war’ against so-called anti-Tinubu candidates not only irresponsible, but dangerous in the current fragile atmosphere of our nation.

“At a time when Nigerians are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, insecurity, and deep political distrust, the last thing the country needs is inflammatory rhetoric from those entrusted with public office.” (THISDAY)

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