The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced February 21, 2026, as the date for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
This was disclosed by Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, during a consultative meeting with political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Yakubu explained that the current tenure of chairmen and councillors, elected during the February 2022 polls, will expire next year. He confirmed that elections would be conducted across the 68 constituencies to select six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors.
Yakubu assured stakeholders that INEC is fully prepared to meet all legal requirements for the election.
He announced that the election timetable, regulations, and guidelines would be available on the commission’s website, with hard copies provided to political party representatives during the meeting.
The chairman also addressed preparations for the Anambra State governorship election, scheduled for November 8, 2025, urging political parties to submit their schedules of activities for better coordination.
He said, “May I remind leaders of political parties that primaries for the nomination of candidates for the Anambra State Governorship election begins in the next two months, that is, 20th March to 10th April 2025.
“You may similarly recall that at our last regular meeting, we agreed that you will forward your schedule of activities for the election to the Commission to enable us work together and plan better for the deployment of personnel and resources for the monitoring of your party primaries and campaign activities, in order to avoid the last minute rush with the attendant inability to meet deadlines and unnecessarily dissipate our energy and lean resources.
“So far, only a few parties are in compliance. I urge those that have not done so to submit the details by the end of this week.”