A coalition of over 70 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) advocating for credible elections in the country on Friday demanded the real-time upload of results from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections, scheduled for Saturday.

The group, which operates under the aegis of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, while warning against vote trading, raised concerns over what it described as hotspots where the safety of voters and the integrity of the ballot could be threatened.

The CSOs’ Situation Room, in a preliminary statement on the election which it made available to reporters, noted that some of the rigging hotbeds and specific security risks identified after a strategic meeting the National Peace Committee (NPC) held with the INEC on February 10 were spread across the various Area Councils.

While the Situation Room flagged the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for “high risks of vote buying and political intimidation, particularly in urban centers where competition is fiercest,” it said Gwagwalada was identified “for potential indigene-settler tensions and the presence of political thuggery.”

Aside from tasking INEC to prove its commitment to transparency by ensuring 100% real-time upload of Form EC8A to the IReV portal, the CSOs said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) must function optimally to prevent the delays that characterized previous local polls.

“Situation Room remains mindful of the persistent and historical challenge of voter apathy, in the FCT, particularly in urban councils like the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

“We recall with deep concern that in the 2022 FCT Area Council elections, out of the 1,373,492 registered voters at the time, the total voter turnout in AMAC was an abysmally low 5.09%.

“Situation Room maintains that local government elections, especially in the nation’s capital, should be the gold standard for transparency.

However, when citizens feel that the law does not guarantee the transparent transmission of their votes, a sentiment which may now be exacerbated by the failure to mandate real-time electronic transmission of election results in the 2026 Act, which reinforces a sense of disillusionment.

“We also note the announcement of the FCT Minister declaring a work-free day in the FCT today, Friday, 20th February 2026, with approval of the President, as well as the restriction of movement from 8 pm on Friday, 20th February 2026 to 6 pm on Saturday, 21st February 2026.

“This announcement on restriction of movement creates some confusion and is in contradiction with the announcement of the FCT Police Command, which is the security agency statutorily in charge of elections in Nigeria, that has announced the usual practice from 6 am on the day of the election to 6 pm.

“This is the usual practice and is done so as not to shut out people completely from carrying out their own duties.”

While acknowledging the deployment of security personnel across the FCT for the election, the Situation Room cautioned security agents to remain apolitical.

“We call on the FCT Commissioner of Police to take charge of Security to ensure free flow of movement for those on Election Duty and that officers prevent vote buying, which has become a recurring decimal in recent off-cycle elections.

“Security agents must remain non-partisan and prioritize the protection of voters, observers, and INEC officials.

“Operationally, while we note INEC’s commitment to carry out an efficient exercise and deployment of BVAS machines for all 2,822 polling units, the effectiveness of this technology is limited if the final output is not protected by mandatory electronic transmission to the IReV portal.

“Situation Room calls on all eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic duty peacefully. We wish to remind all FCT residents that vote trading is illegal and undermines the development of our democracy.

“Voters must resist the temptation to exchange their votes for money or other inducements, as their future welfare depends on the choices they make.

“We enjoin all stakeholders to approach this election with a sense of responsibility and utmost respect for democratic standards,” the statement, which was jointly signed by the Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Mr. Yunusa Z. Ya’u, and the two Co-Conveners, Mma Odi and Celestine Odo, further read. (Vanguard)

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