By Gabriel Ameh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced ward-level distribution of 128,396 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the 2026 Area Councils election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Kasimu Idris, disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing at the INEC FCT Conference Hall in Abuja, where he outlined arrangements for PVC collection and the Commission’s preparedness for the polls.
According to the REC, the in-person PVC collection exercise will take place from Thursday, January 22 to Monday, January 26, 2026, between 9:00am and 3:00pm daily, across all 62 Registration Areas (wards) in the six Area Councils of the FCT. He added that collection would subsequently continue at the INEC Area Council offices.
Malam Idris explained that the PVCs available for collection include cards for newly registered voters, voters who transferred their registration within or into the FCT, those who applied for replacement of lost or defaced PVCs, as well as uncollected cards from previous registration exercises.
He reiterated that the Permanent Voter Card remains the only valid document for voter accreditation, in line with Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), stressing that PVCs would not be issued by proxy and must be collected personally by their rightful owners.
Providing an update on voter registration figures, the REC revealed that following 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, up from 1,570,307 recorded during the 2023 General Election.
He further disclosed that the FCT recorded 8,476 transfers into the territory and 775 transfers out.
On INEC’s preparedness, Malam Idris assured residents that the Commission has made significant progress in line with its election timetable and schedule of activities.
He listed key milestones already achieved to include the monitoring of political party primaries and resolution of disputes, publication of final lists of nominated candidates, monitoring of political campaigns, receipt and batching of non-sensitive election materials, activation of BVAS devices, and the accreditation of observers, media organisations, polling agents and ad-hoc election personnel.
The REC also noted that INEC has intensified voter education and sensitisation efforts, published the final register of voters, strengthened collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), commenced training of election security personnel, and initiated engagements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to ensure smooth logistics on election day.
Malam Idris said the Commission remains conscious of the unique responsibility of conducting elections in the FCT, considering its population size, terrain and security dynamics, noting that these factors have been fully integrated into INEC’s operational planning.
He called on the media to sustain its partnership with the Commission by disseminating accurate information, countering misinformation, and encouraging eligible voters to collect their PVCs promptly.
The REC reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, inclusive and credible election in strict compliance with the Electoral Act, while appreciating the media for its continued support and professionalism.
