By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of 128,396 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at the ward level across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as preparations intensify for the 2026 Area Council Election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Kasimu Idris, disclosed this on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during a media briefing at the INEC FCT Conference Hall in Abuja, where he outlined the Commission’s arrangements for PVC collection and its overall readiness for the forthcoming election.
Malam Idris explained that the in-person PVC collection exercise will take place from Thursday, January 22 to Monday, January 26, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. daily, across all 62 Registration Areas (wards) in the six Area Councils of the FCT. He added that eligible voters who are unable to collect their cards within the period will still have the opportunity to do so at the respective INEC Area Council offices thereafter.
According to the REC, the PVCs available for collection cover newly registered voters, voters who transferred their registration within or into the FCT, those who applied for replacement of lost or defaced cards, as well as uncollected PVCs from previous registration exercises.
He reiterated that the Permanent Voter Card remains the only valid document for voter accreditation, in accordance with Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended). He stressed that PVCs will not be issued by proxy and must be collected in person by their rightful owners.
Providing an update on voter registration, Malam Idris disclosed that before the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the FCT on October 12, 2025, a total of 106,855 persons registered as new voters. After the deduplication process, 102,307 valid new voters were added to the register, bringing the total number of registered voters in the FCT to 1,680,315, compared to 1,570,307 recorded during the 2023 General Election. He also revealed that the Commission recorded 8,476 voter transfers into the FCT and 775 transfers out during the period.
On INEC’s level of preparedness, the REC assured residents that the Commission has made substantial progress in line with its approved timetable and schedule of activities. He listed key milestones already achieved, including the monitoring of party primaries and resolution of pre-election disputes, publication of final lists of nominated candidates, monitoring of political campaigns, receipt and batching of non-sensitive election materials, activation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, and the accreditation of observers, media organisations, polling agents and ad-hoc election personnel.
He further disclosed that the Commission has intensified voter education and sensitisation activities, published the final register of voters for the election, strengthened collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), commenced the training of election security personnel, and engaged the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to ensure smooth logistics on election day.
Malam Idris noted that INEC remains mindful of the unique responsibility of conducting elections in the FCT, given its population size, terrain and security considerations, assuring that these factors have been fully integrated into the Commission’s operational planning.
He called on the media to continue partnering with INEC by disseminating accurate information, countering misinformation and encouraging eligible voters to promptly collect their PVCs.
The REC reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to delivering a free, fair, inclusive and credible election in strict compliance with the Electoral Act, while expressing appreciation to members of the press for their sustained support and professionalism.
