INEC: FCT Area Council Elections Hold February 2026

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),has announced that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections would be held on February 21, 2026.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties held on Wednesday in Abuja.

He explained that Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 required the Commission to issue the notice for elections not later than 360 days before the date of the election.

Yakubu stressed that this also applied to the general as well as off-cycle elections.

“As you are aware, the Commission is responsible for the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the only part of the country where INEC conducts local government elections.

“The last Area Council election in the FCT was held on 12 February 2022. By the effluxion of time, the tenure of the current Chairmen and Councillors ends next year.

“Consequently, the Commission has approved that the 2026 Area Council election in FCT will hold on Saturday 21st February 2026. Voting will take place in all the designated Polling Units across the 68 constituencies to elect the six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councilors.”

The chairman noted that in compliance with the mandatory legal requirements, the notice for the election would be published next month, 26th February 2025.

He added that party primaries would be held from 9th – 30th June 2025, while the candidate nomination portal would open from 9.00am on 21st July 2025 to 6.00pm on 11th August 2025.

Yakubu stressed that the final list of candidates would  be published on 22nd September 2025.

He said  political campaign in public by political parties would commence on 24th September 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 19th February 2026.

The chairman assured the parties that the  detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the  election, as well as the list of constituencies and type of elections in the FCT would be uploaded to the commission’s website before the end of the  meeting on Wednesday (yesterday).

In terms of elections and electoral activities, Yakubu said the year 2025 was going to be busier than 2024.