The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially published the revised Register of Voters for the Federal Capital Territory, recording a total of 1,680,315 registered voters ahead of the February 21, 2026, Area Council Election, marking an increase of 110,008 voters from the 2023 figure.
The presentation of the register took place in Abuja during a stakeholders’ meeting with political parties on Wednesday, where the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, Malam Aminu Idris, described the exercise as a critical constitutional requirement in the Commission’s preparations for the upcoming election.
According to a statement released by the INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, the REC outlined the comprehensive process undertaken to revise the register, beginning with the resumption of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise on August 18, 2025. The exercise commenced with online pre-registration before transitioning to physical registration across the country from September 29, 2025.
In compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the CVR exercise was suspended in the FCT on October 12, 2025, to allow the Commission adequate time to revise the Register of Voters specifically for the Area Council Election. Malam Idris explained that the revision process, carried out pursuant to Section 10(6) of the Electoral Act, involved biometric de-duplication of the register, its public display for claims and objections, and the compilation of a supplementary list arising from the exercise.
“The revision process, carried out pursuant to Section 10(6) of the Electoral Act, involved biometric de-duplication of the register, its display for claims and objections, and the compilation of a supplementary list arising from the exercise,” he stated.
The REC emphasized that the revised register now supersedes all previous registers, establishing it as the authoritative document for the conduct of the February 21 election.
“The total number of registered voters in the FCT increased from 1,570,307 recorded in 2023 to 1,680,315,” Malam Idris disclosed, adding that detailed statistics were made available to political parties at the meeting.
The February 21, 2026, Area Council Election will see voters across the FCT elect representatives to fill 62 councillorship seats and six chairmanship positions, covering the six area councils that constitute the administrative structure of the nation’s capital. These area councils—Abuja Municipal, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Abaji, and Kwali—serve as the grassroots governance framework for the FCT, handling local administration and service delivery in a territory that has grown significantly in population and political importance since its designation as Nigeria’s capital.
Malam Idris provided stakeholders with a comprehensive briefing on the Commission’s level of preparedness for the election, outlining activities already undertaken to ensure a credible and transparent process. These include the monitoring of party primaries, publication of final lists of candidates, commencement of campaign monitoring, receipt of non-sensitive materials, activation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, voter education and sensitisation, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
The REC urged political parties and candidates to sustain the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the FCT and intensify voter mobilisation efforts ahead of the election, emphasizing the importance of issue-based campaigns and adherence to the electoral code of conduct.
He also announced that Permanent Voter Cards for newly registered voters, as well as those who applied for transfer or updates during the CVR exercise, had been delivered to the FCT. The Commission, he noted, would announce the commencement date for PVC collection in due course, urging eligible voters to prepare to collect their cards in readiness for the election.
The increase in registered voters from 1.57 million in 2023 to 1.68 million in 2026 reflects both natural population growth in the FCT and sustained efforts by INEC to expand voter access through the CVR process. The FCT has experienced significant demographic expansion in recent years, driven by urban migration, economic opportunities, and infrastructural development, making the capital one of the fastest-growing territories in the country. This growth has placed increasing demands on electoral administration, requiring INEC to continuously update its systems and processes to accommodate the expanding electorate.
The Area Council elections in the FCT have historically been less prominent than state-level polls, yet they remain crucial for local governance and the delivery of essential services to residents. The councils exercise jurisdiction over matters such as waste management, local infrastructure, primary healthcare, and community development, making the quality of leadership at this level directly consequential for the daily lives of FCT residents.
In a related development, INEC has resumed the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in Anambra State following its suspension on July 20, 2025. The suspension was necessary to enable the Commission to clean up the voters’ register, as well as produce and distribute Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in the state.
The resumption of the CVR exercise at the Anambra State office and the 21 Local Government Area offices is expected to provide eligible voters with the opportunity to register, update their records, apply for replacement of lost or damaged PVCs, and transfer their voting locations ahead of the 2027 General Election.
