FCT Area Councils’ poll: INEC begins ward-level distribution of 128,396 PVCs

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the distribution of 128,396 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at the ward level across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the 2026 Area Council Election scheduled for Saturday, 21st February 2026.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Kasimu Idris, disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing held at the INEC FCT Conference Hall, Abuja, where he briefed journalists on PVC collection and the Commission’s preparedness for the election.

According to the REC, the PVC collection (in-person) exercise will run from Thursday, 22nd January to Monday, 26th January 2026, between 9:00am and 3:00pm daily, across all 62 Registration Areas (wards) in the six Area Councils of the FCT.

He added that collection will continue thereafter at the INEC Area Council offices.

Malam Idris explained that the PVCs available for collection include cards for newly registered voters, voters who transferred their registration within or into the FCT, those who requested replacement for lost or defaced PVCs, as well as cards from previous registration exercises yet to be collected.

He reiterated that the Permanent Voter Card remains the only valid document for voter accreditation, in line with Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), stressing that PVCs will not be issued by proxy and must be collected in person by their rightful owners.

Providing an update on voter registration figures, the REC disclosed that following the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the FCT on 12th October 2025, a total of 106,855 persons registered as new voters.

After the deduplication exercise, 102,307 valid new voters were added to the register, bringing the total number of registered voters in the FCT to 1,680,315, compared to 1,570,307 recorded during the 2023 General Election.

He also revealed that the FCT recorded 8,476 transfers into the territory and 775 transfers out.

On the Commission’s preparedness, Malam Idris assured residents that INEC has made significant progress in line with its timetable and schedule of activities.

The REC listed achievements already recorded to include the monitoring of party primaries and resolution of disputes, publication of final lists of nominated candidates, monitoring of political campaigns, receipt and batching of non-sensitive election materials, activation of BVAS devices, and the accreditation of observers, media organisations, polling agents and ad-hoc election personnel.

He further disclosed that INEC has intensified voter education and sensitisation activities, published the final register of voters for the election, strengthened collaboration with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), commenced the training of election security personnel, and initiated engagements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to ensure seamless logistics for election day.

The REC noted that the Commission remains mindful of the unique responsibility of conducting elections in the FCT, given its population size, terrain and security considerations, assuring that these factors have been adequately integrated into INEC’s operational planning.

He called on the media to continue to partner with the Commission by amplifying accurate information, countering misinformation, and encouraging eligible voters to collect their PVCs promptly.

Malam Idris reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, inclusive and credible election in strict compliance with the Electoral Act, while thanking members of the press for their continued support and professionalism.