By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission has published and presented the revised Register of Voters for the Federal Capital Territory in preparation for the February 21, 2026, Area Council Election, with the total number of registered voters rising to 1,680,315.
The revised register was unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at a stakeholders’ meeting with political parties, where the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, Malam Aminu Idris, described the exercise as a critical constitutional requirement in INEC’s preparations for the forthcoming polls.
Malam Idris recalled that the Commission resumed the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise on August 18, 2025, beginning with online pre-registration and followed by physical registration across the country from September 29, 2025. He explained that in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the CVR was suspended in the FCT on October 12, 2025, to enable INEC revise the Register of Voters specifically for the Area Council Election.
According to him, 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. He noted that the revised register now supersedes all previous registers used in the FCT.
The REC disclosed that the total number of registered voters in the FCT increased from 1,570,307 recorded in 2023 to 1,680,315, adding that detailed statistics on the updated register were made available to political parties during the meeting.
He further briefed stakeholders on the Commission’s level of preparedness for the February 21, 2026, Area Council Election, which will see voters elect 62 councillors and six area council chairmen across the territory. He said preparations already undertaken include the monitoring of political party primaries, publication of final lists of candidates, commencement of campaign monitoring, receipt of non-sensitive election materials, activation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, voter education and sensitisation programmes, sustained stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
Malam Idris urged political parties and candidates to sustain the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the FCT and intensify voter mobilisation to ensure a credible and successful election. He also announced that Permanent Voter Cards for newly registered voters, as well as those who applied for transfers or updates during the CVR exercise, have been delivered to the FCT. According to him, the Commission will announce the commencement date for PVC collection in due course.
In a related development, INEC has resumed the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in Anambra State. The CVR was earlier suspended on July 20, 2025, to allow the Commission clean up the voters’ register and 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 give eligible voters the opportunity to register for the first time, update their personal records, apply for the replacement of lost or damaged PVCs, and transfer their voting locations in preparation for the 2027 General Election.
