A civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has released its preliminary report on the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, citing vote buying, logistical failures, and administrative lapses as key challenges that undermined the credibility of the process.
The elections, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were held on Saturday to elect chairmen across the six area councils of the FCT, as well as 62 councillors. Yiaga Africa said it deployed trained and accredited roving observers across all 62 wards to monitor voting, accreditation, counting, and collation procedures.
According to the report, the polls were largely peaceful, and voters who turned out were generally able to cast their ballots without widespread disruption. However, voter turnout was described as generally low across most polling units.
Yiaga Africa observed significant delays in the commencement of polling, largely due to logistical inefficiencies and, in some instances, security-related challenges. In several polling units, essential setup activities were still ongoing as of 9:00 a.m., with accreditation and voting beginning around 10:00 a.m. on average. These delays were particularly pronounced in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), especially in Wuse and Gwarinpa wards.
The group also reported cases of missing or late deployment of critical election materials, including voter registers, voting cubicles, and ink pads in some polling units. In addition, the relocation of polling units without timely communication to voters caused confusion, congestion, and possible disenfranchisement, despite INEC’s use of SMS notifications—many of which arrived on Election Day.
Security deployment was described as heavy in certain areas, sometimes restricting observer movement and voter access. Observers also documented instances of early closure of polling units before the official 2:30 p.m. deadline.
Most concerning, Yiaga Africa reported multiple incidents of vote buying at polling units, noting that despite INEC’s prior assurances and directives to security agencies, the practice persisted in several locations, exposing ongoing vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s electoral process.
