The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan has expressed satisfaction with the Commission’s level of preparedness for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Prof. Amupitan made the remarks on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the conclusion of his readiness assessment tour of Kuje, Gwagwalada and Bwari Area Councils.
The visit, conducted alongside nine National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of The Electoral Institute (TEI), technical aides and selected directors of the Commission, underscored INEC’s commitment to ensuring a credible poll.
Addressing journalists after inspecting facilities and interacting with staff, the INEC Chairman stressed the need for the Commission to rebuild public trust through performance.
“We must begin to redeem our image through what we do, not necessarily what we say,” he said.
“From the reports given to us and what we have verified, I am quite satisfied.”
According to the readiness reports presented by the Electoral Officers (EOs), one Area Council recorded 99.9 per cent preparedness, Kuje reported 90.8 per cent, while another indicated 100 per cent readiness for the election.
Prof. Amupitan stated that the Commission went beyond verbal briefings to physically verify materials and logistics.
“All the materials have been batched. The non sensitive materials are ready. I personally went inside the stores to confirm that everything is in place,” he said, adding that the level of preparation leaves no room for lapses on election day.
The Electoral Officers for Kuje, Yakubu Allawa; Gwagwalada, Bola Abdullahi; and Bwari, Gloria Adebayo-Stephen, assured the Chairman of their full readiness. They confirmed that non sensitive materials had been batched, ad hoc staff training concluded, deployment arrangements finalised and collaboration with security agencies strengthened.
The Chairman commended the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT and the management team for effective coordination, particularly the decentralisation of operations to the Area Council level, which he described as a demonstration of administrative efficiency.
He reiterated that true readiness would be measured on Election Day through early activation of Registration Area Centres (RACs), timely deployment of personnel and materials, and commencement of accreditation and voting at 8:30 a.m. as scheduled.
Prof. Amupitan emphasised that the peaceful conduct of the election is non negotiable and called for robust security deployment, especially in identified flashpoints, to safeguard voters, personnel and materials.
On result management, he directed that results be counted and declared at polling units in line with the Electoral Act, properly documented and promptly uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Dismissing claims that the Commission was experimenting with result transmission technology, he noted that since 2022, INEC has consistently transmitted results to the IReV portal using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“Since 2022, we have been transmitting results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). The BVAS is capable of accreditation and uploading and transmitting results to the portal. Definitely, the results will be transmitted,” he affirmed.
The INEC Chairman also reminded officials of their oath of neutrality and urged them to discharge their duties with professionalism and integrity.
Ahead of the poll, Prof. Amupitan is scheduled to hold an expanded stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, involving political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations and the media.
The FCT Area Council election the only local government election conducted by INEC remains a benchmark for similar elections organised by State Independent Electoral Commissions nationwide.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive election that reflects the will of the people.
