FCT Area Council election begins slowly amid smooth security, INEC preparations
Accreditation and voting at polling stations across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commenced slowly between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The election, taking place in six Area Councils –
Accreditation and voting at polling stations across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commenced slowly between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The election, taking place in six Area Councils – Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kuje, and Kwali – covers 2,822 polling units across 62 electoral wards, with 1,680,315 registered voters contesting for six chairmanship and 62 councillorship positions.
President Bola Tinubu’s call for orderly elections, elaborate preparations by security agencies, and the independent National Electoral Commission all appear to have helped tremendously toward curbing the feared eruption of a crippling crisis in some identified areas.
Areas previously highlighted as security risks during the February 10, 2026, National Peace Committee (NPC) and INEC meeting included AMAC city centre, Gwagwalada, Bwari, and Kwali, where concerns ranged from political thuggery and indigene-settler tensions to farmer-herder conflicts and cross-border security pressures.
Despite initial concerns, voting proceeded smoothly across all six councils. Strict enforcement of the ban on the unauthorised movement of people and vehicles was observed. At the University of Abuja Staff Quarters in Gwagwalada, voter registers were displayed by 8:25 a.m. for prospective voters. In Bwari’s Dutse ward at Dawaki LEA Primary School, INEC officials were ready by 9:00 a.m., though voters had yet to arrive. Meanwhile, Fogne Primary School in Ashara ward of Kwali began accreditation and voting by 8:45 a.m.
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However, accreditation and voting started by 8:45 a.m. at the Fogne Primary School polling units in Ashara ward of the Kwali Area Council. Although no significant disruptions were reported on Saturday morning, an unexpected problem was the scanty presence of party agents in most places.
For example, at Polling Units 038, 004, 041, 026, 001, and 025 located around Life Camp in AMAC, officials appeared ready by 8.45 but only one party agent was present at Polling Unit 041. Subsequently, some individuals were brought in to act as party agents without identification cards or party tags.
Security personnel were actively deployed across the FCT, and INEC appeared operationally well-prepared, although voters still have lingering doubts about the efficiency level that the BVAS machines deployed by INEC for all 2,822 polling units may record.
