Prior to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections on February 21, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the media to increase voter education, encourage professionalism, and maintain ethical standards in election coverage.
As part of the commission’s ongoing stakeholder engagement for the upcoming election, Malam Mohammed Haruna, the FCT’s Supervising National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), made the call Tuesday in Abuja at a forum for media executives, producers, reporters, and on-air personalities.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, the INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, emphasized that responsible reporting and voter engagement are still essential to the legitimacy of elections.
Ten of the thirteen major tasks included in the calendar and schedule of activities for the election had been completed effectively, according to Haruna.
According to him, the most recent significant event was the release of the final voter registration on January 14, 2026, copies of which were given to each of the political parties running in the election.
“The remaining activities are the publication of the Notice of Poll on February 7, the conclusion of political party campaigns on February 19, and Election Day on February 21,” he stated.
Although the observer accreditation portal is now closed, the national commissioner pointed out that the media accreditation portal is still open until February 8 and urged media organizations that have not yet applied to do so as soon as possible to allow for the timely issuing of accreditation cards.
Regarding logistics, he disclosed that the commission had purchased almost all of the non-sensitive goods needed for the election and arranged them in batches based on the FCT’s six area councils, 62 wards, and 2,822 polling places.
In front of party agents, security services, civil society organizations, and the media on February 18, Haruna stated that sensitive materials, such as ballot papers and result sheets, will be printed ahead of time and formally received by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), FCT Branch.
He also revealed that sufficient Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices were being set up and ready to be deployed to every voting place.
Section 299 of the constitution applies to the FCT “as if it were one of the states of the federation,” according to Haruna, despite the fact that FCT Area Council elections are comparable to local government elections held by State Independent Electoral Commissions.
“Elections for the FCT Area Council are held in a manner similar to that of governorships,” he stated.
He emphasized that there are more voters in the FCT than in Bayelsa and Ekiti States.
The Territory’s position as Nigeria’s political capital inevitably draws attention from both domestic and foreign sources, he continued.
He emphasized that the commission was committed to doing everything possible to guarantee a free, fair, and credible election as this was the first FCT Area Council election since the Electoral Act increased council tenure from three to four years.
Aminu Idris, the FCT’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), has referred to the conference as a key platform for enhancing cooperation and coordinating expectations between INEC and the media prior to the elections.
He pointed out that public trust in elections is influenced by how the process is carried out as well as how it is recorded and disseminated.
Idris stated that without the backing of an accountable and competent media, INEC’s pledge to hold a peaceful, transparent, and inclusive election cannot be fulfilled.
He revealed that INEC had authorized Danbaki Titus to succeed Zachariah James Danbaki as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Igu Ward in Bwari Area Council.
Idris further declared that in order to test election technology, such as BVAS accreditation, voting procedures, and fake result uploads to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, the commission would carry out a sham accreditation exercise in 289 chosen polling places among the six area councils.
