President Bola Tinubu has urged stakeholders to ensure peaceful and orderly conduct during today’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers and Kano states.
The elections, slated for today, February 21, 2026, are the first to be held following his assent to the Electoral Act 2026.
In a statement issued Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on information and strategy, the President called on eligible voters to turn out without fear, stressing that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect.
He warned political parties and their supporters against acts of violence and inflammatory rhetoric capable of undermining the credibility of the polls.
Tinubu also cautioned security agencies to avoid excessive use of force, voter intimidation or any action that could disenfranchise citizens.
The President assured that the federal government would continue to support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in delivering credible elections, directing the commission to ensure prompt accreditation, seamless voting, accurate collation and swift transmission of results in line with the new law.
INEC is expected to conduct area council elections across the Federal Capital Territory, involving over 1.6 million registered voters in 2,822 polling units.
In Rivers State, supplementary elections will hold in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies, while bye-elections are scheduled in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies of Kano State following vacancies in the State House of Assembly.
The Electoral Act 2026 provides legal backing for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and electronic transmission of results, while retaining manual collation as a contingency in areas with limited network coverage.
