President Bola Tinubu has appealed for peaceful and orderly conduct as voters head to the polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers and Kano states on Saturday.
The elections, slated for February 21, 2026, will be the first major polls held days after the signing of the Electoral Act 2026 into law.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President urged voters, security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discharge their responsibilities responsibly and without intimidation.
Tinubu encouraged eligible voters to turn out without fear, stressing that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere of peace, tolerance and mutual respect. He also warned political parties, candidates and supporters against violence, inflammatory rhetoric or any conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
The President cautioned security operatives against high-handedness and voter suppression, noting that their role is to safeguard lives, property and the integrity of the ballot.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening institutions tasked with delivering credible elections, expressing confidence that residents of the FCT, Kano and Rivers would demonstrate civic responsibility and uphold democratic values.
Tinubu further called on INEC to ensure smooth accreditation, seamless voting, accurate collation and prompt transmission of results in accordance with the provisions of the new Electoral Act.
INEC is set to conduct elections across the six area councils of the FCT, covering 1,680,315 registered voters in 2,822 polling units. Bye-elections will also take place in Rivers and Kano states to fill vacant legislative seats.
In Rivers, the polls will hold in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies following the resignation and death of sitting lawmakers. In Kano, elections will be conducted in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies after the deaths of two members of the State House of Assembly.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, including the formal recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and provisions for electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, while retaining manual collation in areas with poor network coverage. The law also permits the use of manually completed Form EC8A for collation and declaration where electronic transmission is disrupted.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said the commission has completed critical preparations, including distribution of non-sensitive materials, training of personnel and configuration of BVAS devices. He added that 83 domestic and five international observer groups have been accredited to monitor the exercise.
Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has imposed movement restrictions within the territory from 8:00 p.m. on February 20 to 6:00 p.m. on February 21 to ensure a peaceful voting process.
