Ahead of the February 21 Area Council elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the revised Register of Voters for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with the total number of registered voters rising to 1,680,315.
Presenting details at a stakeholders’ meeting with political parties in Abuja, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, described the revision as a critical constitutional requirement in INEC’s preparations for the Area Council polls.
Idris explained that INEC resumed the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on August 18, 2025, starting with online pre-registration, followed by physical registration from September 29, 2025.
“In compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the CVR was suspended in the FCT on October 12, 2025, to allow the Commission revise the Register of Voters for the Area Council Election,” he said.
According to him, the revision process—carried out under Section 10(6) of the Electoral Act—included biometric de-duplication of the register, public display for claims and objections, and the compilation of a supplementary voters’ list. He noted that the revised register now supersedes all previous registers.
Idris disclosed that registered voters in the FCT increased from 1,570,307 in 2023 to 1,680,315, adding that detailed statistics were made available to political parties at the meeting.
He also briefed stakeholders on INEC’s level of preparedness for the February 21, 2026 election, which will fill 62 councillorship seats and six chairmanship positions across the FCT. Activities already undertaken include monitoring of party primaries, publication of final lists of candidates, campaign monitoring, receipt of non-sensitive materials, activation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voter education and sensitisation, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The REC called on political parties and candidates to sustain the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the FCT and intensify voter mobilisation ahead of the polls.
He further announced that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters, as well as for those who applied for transfer or updates during the CVR exercise, had been delivered to the FCT. INEC, he said, would announce the commencement date for PVC collection in due course.
Meanwhile, INEC has resumed the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in Anambra State. The CVR had been suspended on July 20, 2025, to allow the commission clean up the voters’ register and produce PVCs ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election in the state.
The resumption of CVR at the Anambra State office and across the 21 local government area offices will enable eligible voters to register, update their records, apply for replacement of lost or damaged PVCs, and transfer their voting locations ahead of the 2027 general election.
By Friday Olokor, Abuja
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