The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said a total of 1,680,315 persons are expected to vote in the February 21 Area Council elections in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Idris, who gave the figure at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that, in compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act, 2022, continuous voters registration (CVR) was suspended in the FCT on October 12, 2025, to allow the commission revise the Register of Voters for the Area Council election.
Malami Idris further stated that the revision process was carried out in pursuant to Section 10(6) of the Electoral Act, involved biometric deduplication of the register, its display for claims and objections, and the compilation of a supplementary list arising from the exercise.
According to him, the revised register now supersedes all previous registers.
He disclosed that the total number of registered voters in the territory increased from 1,570,307 in 2023 to 1,680,315, adding that detailed statistics were made available to political parties at the meeting.
The REC also briefed stakeholders on the commission’s level of preparedness for the Area Council Election, which is for the election of 62 councillors and six chairmen.
Malami Idris listed activities already undertaken by the commission to include the monitoring of party primaries, publication of final lists of candidates, commencement of campaign monitoring, receipt of non-sensitive materials, activation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voter education and sensitisation, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
He urged political parties and candidates to sustain the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the FCT and intensify voter mobilisation ahead of the election.
According to him, permanent voter cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters, as well as those who applied for transfer or updates during the CVR exercise, had been delivered to the territory, noting that INEC would announce the commencement date for PVC collection in due course.
INEC has resumed the VR exercise in Anambra State, which was suspended on July 20, 2025, to enable the commission clean up the voters’ register for the November 8, 2025, governorship election in the state.
The exercise will take place at INEC state office and the 21 Local Government Area offices, and will include registration of eligible voters, replacement of lost or damaged PVCs, and transfer of voting locations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
