By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the devolution of the ongoing voter registration exercise to the Ward level in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as preparations intensify ahead of the 2026 FCT Area Council elections.
The development was announced in an official statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, who explained that the move was in line with INEC’s established policy of bringing the exercise closer to the people in the build-up to major off-cycle elections. He recalled that a similar step was taken ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections last year, as well as recently in Anambra State in preparation for its forthcoming governorship poll.
According to the Commission, the physical (in-person) registration which had hitherto been restricted to the INEC office in the FCT and the six Area Council offices will now be extended to all the 62 Wards across the territory, bringing the total number of centres to 69. The devolved registration is scheduled to commence on Monday, 29th September 2025, and run until Wednesday, 8th October 2025.
However, the Commission noted that the online pre-registration option in the FCT will be suspended from Monday, 15th September 2025. This measure, it explained, was to ensure that all those who pre-registered online complete their registration at designated physical centres since the online process alone is invalid without in-person biometric capture.
Olumekun further disclosed that the voter registration exercise in the FCT will be suspended on 8th October 2025 in compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandates INEC to end the process not later than 90 days before the date fixed for any election. The FCT Area Council election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, 21st February 2026. He added that both online and in-person registration will resume after the February poll and continue until August 2026 when the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will also be suspended ahead of the 2027 General Election, as earlier announced by the Commission.
To guide the public, INEC said that the list and addresses of all the registration centres have been uploaded to its official website and other verified platforms.
The Commission appealed to all eligible citizens in the FCT who have not yet registered to seize the opportunity of the devolution of the exercise to Ward level and ensure they are captured in the voters’ register. It also reminded Nigerians that registered voters in other states may transfer their registration to the FCT if they so desire, while those within the FCT may also relocate their registration to another ward of preference.
INEC however warned that no person should register more than once, stressing that double or multiple registration is a punishable offence under the law.
“The public is invited to note the dates and locations of the devolved CVR and turnout en masse to register ahead of the deadline,” the statement added.
