Residents in several key areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) may face disruptions during Saturday’s Area Council elections, as the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has scheduled a six-hour power outage for maintenance work.
The outage, set for February 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., coincides with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-organized polls, where voters across Abuja’s six Area Councils will elect chairpersons and councillors starting at 8:30 a.m.
According to AEDC’s statement, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) will perform essential maintenance on the 60MVA Transformer TR1 at the Katampe Transmission Substation. The affected neighborhoods include Gwarinpa, Dawaki, News Engineering, France Engineering, Charley Boy, and surrounding communities.
AEDC described the work as part of “ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability and improve power supply to the affected communities.” The company apologized for any inconvenience caused and urged residents to exercise patience during the interruption.
While AEDC did not explicitly address potential impacts on the election process, the timing raises concerns about power availability at polling units in the impacted areas, especially amid growing voter skepticism ahead of the vote.
For updates or inquiries, customers can contact AEDC via phone at 08039070070 or WhatsApp at 08152141414 and 08152151515.
The FCT Area Council elections, unique as the only local polls directly managed by INEC, serve as a bellwether one year before Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
