INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, confirmed that the FCT polls will draw on a voter pool of 1,680,315 registered voters spread across 2,822 polling units in all six Area Councils. On the same day, voters in Rivers State will decide seats in the Ahoada East II and Khana II State constituencies, while Kano residents will head to the polls in the Kano Municipal and Ungogo State constituencies.
The new electoral law raises the stakes considerably. Among its most significant provisions is the formal statutory embedding of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the Election Results Viewing Portal — two technologies that have reshaped how Nigeria conducts and monitors elections. For the first time, INEC must apply these provisions not as policy guidelines but as legal obligations, leaving little room for deviation.
To create the right conditions for a smooth exercise, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike declared Friday a work-free day, giving residents the opportunity to travel to their communities ahead of voting. Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike also announced a government-approved restriction of movement across the FCT, running from 8 p.m. on Friday, February 20, through 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 21. All security agencies have been directed to enforce the restriction strictly.
