President Bola Tinubu has appealed to voters, security agencies, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly during Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers State, and Kano State.
The elections, scheduled for February 21, 2026, are coming shortly after the President assented to the Electoral Act 2026, which introduced significant reforms to Nigeria’s electoral process. In a statement released on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu encouraged eligible voters to participate without fear, emphasizing that democracy thrives in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The President also urged political parties, candidates, and their supporters to avoid violence, inflammatory language, or any actions capable of undermining the credibility of the elections. He cautioned against voter intimidation, excessive use of force, or conduct that could disenfranchise citizens and erode public trust, noting that security agencies have been deployed to protect lives, property, and the integrity of the ballot.
“Fellow Nigerians, I assure you that the Federal Government under my administration will continue to support institutions responsible for delivering free, fair, and credible elections,” Tinubu said. He commended residents of the FCT, Rivers, and Kano for their civic awareness and expressed confidence that the polls would reflect the will of the people and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic journey.
Tinubu further directed INEC to implement measures that enhance voter confidence, including prompt accreditation, seamless voting, accurate collation, and the swift transmission of results, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC is expected to conduct elections across the six area councils of the FCT, involving 1,680,315 registered voters in 2,822 polling units, alongside bye-elections in Rivers and Kano. Supplementary polls will hold in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies in Rivers, while voting will also take place in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies following vacancies in the state legislature.
The Electoral Act 2026 formally recognizes the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and allows electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, while retaining manual collation as a contingency in areas with limited network coverage.
