INEC says 1.58m PVCs collected ahead of FCT Area Council Elections 2026 as Wike declares work-free day and movement restriction

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that over 1.5 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the February 21, 2026 elections.

Also read: INEC Firmly Defends 2027 Election Dates Amid Criticism

The commission fixed February 21 for the election of chairmen and councillors in the six area councils.

In a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Muhammed Haruka, INEC disclosed that as of February 10, 2026, a total of 1,680,315 voters were registered in the FCT.

Out of this figure, 1,587,025 PVCs have been collected, representing a 94.4 per cent collection rate, while 93,290 cards remain uncollected.

Breakdown Across Area Councils

In Abaji Area Council, 75,517 PVCs were collected out of 79,471 registered voters (95.0%).

Bwari recorded 276,360 collected PVCs out of 295,711 registered voters (93.5%).

Gwagwalada posted 196,184 collected PVCs from 208,057 registered voters (94.3%).

Kuje recorded 144,109 collected PVCs out of 148,286 registered voters (97.2%).

Kwali saw 99,774 PVCs collected out of 107,203 registered voters (93.1%).

In Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), 795,081 PVCs were collected out of 841,587 registered voters (94.5%).

INEC commended residents for their participation in the Continuous Voter Registration and PVC collection exercises, describing the figures as evidence of strong grassroots engagement.

The commission reiterated that only duly registered voters in possession of valid PVCs would be allowed to vote.

Wike Declares Work-Free Day

Ahead of the poll, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declared Friday, February 20, 2026, a work-free day. He also announced a restriction of movement from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday.

According to Wike, the measures were approved by Bola Tinubu to enable residents travel to their communities and ensure smooth conduct of the election.

A total of 68 positions are being contested in the FCT Area Council Elections 2026, including six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship roles.

PDP Candidates Step Down

Meanwhile, political developments intensified ahead of the election. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate for AMAC, Zadna Dantani, withdrew from the race and declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Christopher Makaleng.

Similarly, the PDP candidate for Bwari Area Council, Julius Adamu, stepped down for the APC candidate, Joshua Musa.

Dantani attributed his decision to Wike’s intervention, describing the election as one rooted in unity rather than rivalry.

SDP Insists Voters Will Decide

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, however, insisted that the outcome of the election would be determined solely by FCT residents.

Campaigning in Apo for the SDP’s AMAC chairmanship candidate, Obinna Simon, popularly known as MC Tagwaye, Adebayo urged residents to participate actively and resist any attempt to impose leaders from outside the territory.

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With campaigns concluded and security measures in place, residents across Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali area councils are set to head to the polls on Saturday.