President Bola Tinubu has urged voters, security agencies, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct themselves orderly during Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers, and Kano states.
The polls, scheduled for February 21, 2026, follow the recent signing of the Electoral Act 2026 into law.
In a statement released Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu called on all eligible voters to cast their ballots without fear, emphasizing that democracy thrives in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance, and mutual respect.
He appealed to political parties, candidates, and supporters to avoid violence, inflammatory statements, and actions that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process. Tinubu warned against intimidation or acts that could disenfranchise voters, noting that security personnel are present to safeguard lives, property, and the sanctity of the ballot.
The President said, “Fellow Nigerians, I assure you that the Federal Government under my administration will continue to support institutions responsible for delivering free, fair, and credible elections. To all residents of the FCT, Kano, and Rivers, I commend your civic consciousness. I am confident that these elections will reflect the will of the people and further strengthen our democratic journey as a nation.”
Tinubu also urged INEC to ensure timely accreditation, smooth voting, accurate collation, and prompt transmission of results, in line with the 2026 Electoral Act.
Elections will be held across the six area councils of the FCT, covering 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units, alongside bye-elections in Rivers and Kano states.
In Rivers, bye-elections will take place in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies following the resignation and death of legislators. In Kano, polls will be held in Kano Municipal (330,228 voters across 630 polling units) and Ungogo constituency (205,418 voters across 384 polling units) after the deaths of two State House of Assembly members.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces reforms including statutory codification of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, with manual collation as a fallback in areas with poor network coverage.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, said preparations are complete, including delivery of non-sensitive materials, training of electoral officers and security personnel, and BVAS configuration. The commission has accredited 83 domestic and five foreign observer groups to monitor the polls.
To ensure a peaceful environment, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, imposed movement restrictions in the territory from 8:00 p.m. on February 20 to 6:00 p.m. on February 21, 2026.
