Voter turnout at Saturday’s Area Council elections in the FCT marked an improvement on previous polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.

The electoral umpire put the turnout at about 15 per cent of the 1,680,315 registered voters.

Besides, the commission explained that the final results from Kuje Area Council were delayed because of the difficult terrain in one of the electoral wards.

In a statement signed by its Acting Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, INEC commended residents of the territory for the peaceful conduct of the elections, while denying that some voters were migrated to other polling units.

He said the difficulty experienced by some voters in locating their polling unit was as a result of the splitting of some polling units to allow for better voter access, adding that none of the voters were migrated away from their former vicinity.

The statement reads: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted elections on Saturday, 21st February 2026, for the positions of Chairman in the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as for 62 Councillorship seats.

“The results of the election were announced late Saturday except that of Kuje Area Council which was announced at 3:30pm on Sunday 22nd February 2026.

“The Commission appreciates the residents of the FCT for their peaceful conduct and cooperation throughout the electoral process.

“According to the Commission’s Election Operations Dashboard, 45% of polling units opened for voting as at 8:30am, while all polling units were confirmed open by 10:00am on Election Day.

“Contrary to the claim in some quarters that some voters were migrated to another/ new polling units different from their original polling units, the Commission wishes to state categorically that voters were not migrated, what the commission did was to create split polling units in large polling units with voters registration of over 1,250 voters to avoid congestion on election day. The split units are located some few meters away from the original polling units within the same premises.

“The public will recall that the commission displayed the Register of Voters at designated centres/split polling units four days to the Area Council elections to enable voters confirm their details and polling unit locations. Text messages/emails were sent to the affected voters on Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2026 indicating the actual locations of their split polling units, were intended solely as reminders to assist them in identifying their current polling units.

“The commission also wishes to inform the public that as at 2:00pm on Sunday, 22nd February 2026, the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal had reached 93%. Residents of the FCT and other interested members of the public can access results from the six Area Councils via the portal.

“While the commission remains concerned about voter apathy, it notes a significant improvement compared to the previous election. In the 2022 Area Council election, a total of 148,685 voters were recorded, representing 9.4% of registered voters.

“In the current election, over 239,210 voters voted, representing approximately 15 per cent of the 1,680,315 total registered voters in the FCT.

“The delay in the results of Kuje Area Council is due to the difficult terrain of Kabi ward, which delayed the final collation of the Area Council results.

“The Commission appreciates the electorate in the FCT for their cooperation and participation throughout the process. The participation recorded across the six Area Councils is indicative of citizens’ continued trust in building democracy and the electoral system”.

CISLAC, TMG raise concerns over voter turnout, logistics in FCT

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) expressed concerns over voter apathy and logistical challenges observed during the elections

In a statement by CISLAC’s Executive Director and Chairman, TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, who attested to the peaceful polls, warned that declining public engagement could weaken confidence in the electoral process.

The groups also reported delays in the commencement of voting in parts of the FCT, particularly in AMAC) which it attributed to late deployment of personnel and materials.

They also cited accessibility gaps affecting persons with disabilities, especially in rural councils such as Kwali and Abaji, where some polling units were said to be difficult to access. They called on INEC to review its logistics and assistive provisions.

CISLAC and TMG raised concerns about incidents of vote buying, confusion arising from the relocation of some polling units, and reports of restricted access in parts of Rivers State due to heavy security presence.

They urged security agencies to maintain neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral process.

The groups also called on INEC to clarify issues surrounding the absence of some political parties from the ballot in by-elections conducted in Kano and Rivers states, and to address reported disruptions to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during collation.

They urged electoral authorities to strengthen transparency, ensure timely deployment of materials and improve on inclusiveness ahead of future elections.

FCT poll: EFCC arrests 20 for alleged fraud, recovers N17m

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 20 suspects for sundry electoral offences in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) local government elections.

The agency said its operatives intercepted about N17.2 million from the suspects arrested for alleged vote buying and selling.

The suspects are to face prosecution after investigations, the agency’s Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, said in a statement.

The statement reads: “The suspects were arrested across the FCT, for offences ranging from vote buying, vote selling to obstruction of officers to the tune of N17, 218, 700 only.

“One of the suspects was arrested with a sum of N13, 500,000 in a car parked beside a polling booth in the Kwali local government area.

“Two of the suspects were arrested in Abaji; nine in Gwagwalada; four in Kuje and the remaining four in Kwali. The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.”

Democracy under siege, says Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday complained about the low voter turnout in weekend polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils.

He described the turnout, which averaged below 20 per cent, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council recording a shocking 7.8 per cent, as a damning verdict on the health of Nigeria’s democracy under the current administration.

Atiku said in a statement that such abysmal civic participation in the nation’s capital- the symbolic heartbeat of the federation, was not accidental.

He described it as the predictable outcome of a political environment poisoned by intolerance, intimidation, and the systematic weakening of opposition voices.

The ADC chieftain, whose party failed to make an appreciable impact, noted that the Bola Tinubu-led APC government had pursued a deliberate policy of shrinking democratic space, harassing dissenters, coercing defectors, and fostering a climate where alternative political viewpoints are treated as threats rather than contributions to national development.

said: “When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die. What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated slowly, steadily, and dangerously.”

Atiku warned that the steady erosion of participatory governance, if left unchecked, could inflict irreversible damage on the democratic fabric painstakingly built over decades.

He stressed: “A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only. If this chokehold is not released, history will record this era as the period when our hard-won freedoms were traded for fear and conformity.” (The Nation)