By Attah Ede
Ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Polls slated for Saturday February 21th 2026, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, has warned against vote buying, saying anyone caught engaging in such an act will be prosecuted.
This was contained in a statement shared via the commission’s official X handle.
In the statement, Amupitan assured residents of the FCT of a peaceful, transparent and credible poll slated for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Speaking at a high-level stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, Amupitan said over 1.6 million registered voters will vote across 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates contesting 68 seats.
The chairman of the commission insisted that elections are a shared responsibility and warned that INEC has no preferred candidate.
The statement further revealed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed across polling units, and results will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
The statement reads, “BVAS will be deployed in all polling units, with results uploaded to IReV. The Commission has accredited 89 observer groups and 700 journalists to monitor the process.
“Security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), will be on the ground to curb vote buying and ensure safety.”
Meanwhile, security agents, including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce and Department of State Services, have been deployed across strategic locations throughout the Territory.
