The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that over 1.5 million voters in the Federal Capital Territory have collected their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information & Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, INEC disclosed that as of the close of PVC collection on February 10, 1,587,025 voters out of 1,680,315 registered in the FCT had collected their cards.
According to the commission, the figure represents a 94.4 per cent collection rate, while a total of 93,290 PVCs remained uncollected.
The statement provided a breakdown by Area Council stating, “Abaji Area Council recorded 75,517 collected PVCs out of 79,471 registered voters, representing 95.0 per cent collection rate.
“Bwari Area Council recorded 276,360 collected PVCs out of 295,711 registered voters, translating to 93.5 per cent.
“Gwagwalada Area Council recorded 196,184 collected PVCs out of 208,057 registered voters, representing 94.3 per cent.
“Kuje Area Council recorded 144,109 collected PVCs out of 148,286 registered voters, representing an outstanding 97.2 per cent collection rate.
“Kwali Area Council recorded 99,774 collected PVCs out of 107,203 registered voters, representing 93.1 per cent.
“Municipal Area Council recorded 795,081 collected PVCs out of 841,587 registered voters, representing 94.5 per cent.”
According to INEC, several Registration Areas recorded collection rates exceeding 99 per cent, highlighting strong grassroots engagement across the territory.
“The Commission commends voters in the FCT for their responsiveness and cooperation throughout the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and PVC collection exercises.
“The impressive figures recorded across the Area Councils indicate strong citizen readiness to participate in the electoral process,” the statement added.
INEC reiterated that only duly registered voters in possession of valid PVCs will be allowed to vote on Election Day and assured that all necessary arrangements have been made to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
PUNCH Online reports that voters in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali will head to the polls to elect chairmen and councillors.
The campaign period, which began in September 2025, is set to conclude today. A total of 68 positions are being contested, including six chairmanship seats and 62 councillorship roles.
Earlier on Thursday, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, announced a work-free day on Friday and imposed a restriction of movement from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday ahead of the elections.
Wike made the announcement in a special broadcast on national television and radio stations, urging residents to participate actively in the polls.
He noted that the work-free day and movement restriction were approved by President Bola Tinubu to allow residents to travel to their communities and ensure smooth voting.
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