- Tinubu Urges Peaceful Conduct Ahead of FCT, Rivers, Kano Polls
- Encouraged eligible voters to turn out without fear
- The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, including statutory backing for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System
President Bola Tinubu has called on voters, security agencies, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure orderly and peaceful conduct during Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers, and Kano states.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the elections, scheduled for February 21, 2026, come days after the President signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law.
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In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu encouraged eligible voters to turn out without fear, stressing that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance, and mutual respect.
He urged political parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence, inflammatory rhetoric, and any actions capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
“Fellow Nigerians, I assure you that the Federal Government under my administration will continue to support institutions responsible for delivering free, fair, and credible elections,” Tinubu said.
“To all residents of the FCT, Kano, and Rivers, I commend your civic consciousness. I am confident that these elections will reflect the will of the people and further strengthen our democratic journey as a nation.”
The President also cautioned security personnel against high-handedness or voter intimidation, emphasising that their role is to protect lives, property, and the integrity of the ballot.
He further urged INEC to strengthen public confidence by ensuring timely accreditation of voters, smooth voting procedures, accurate collation, and prompt transmission of results in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC will conduct elections across the six area councils of the FCT, involving 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units. Bye-elections will also take place in Rivers and Kano states.
In Rivers State, polls will be held in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies to fill vacancies resulting from the resignation and death of lawmakers.
In Kano State, elections will be conducted in Kano Municipal constituency, with 330,228 voters across 630 polling units, and Ungogo constituency, which has 205,418 voters across 384 polling units. The seats became vacant following the deaths of two members of the State House of Assembly.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, including statutory backing for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and provisions for electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal. However, it retains manual collation as a fallback option in areas experiencing network or communication challenges.
Under the law, manually completed Form EC8A may serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results where electronic transmission is disrupted.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, said preparations are largely complete, including distribution of non-sensitive materials, training of electoral and security personnel, and configuration of BVAS devices.
The commission has accredited 83 domestic and five foreign observer groups to monitor the elections.
To ensure security, 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, 2026.
