Bola Tinubu has called on 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 (FCT), Rivers and Kano states.
The polls, scheduled for February 21, 2026, come days after the President signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged eligible voters to turn out without fear, stressing that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance and mutual respect.
He appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to shun violence, inflammatory rhetoric and any conduct capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process. The President also warned security operatives against high-handedness or intimidation, emphasising that their role is to safeguard lives, property and the sanctity of the ballot.
“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.
Addressing residents of the FCT, Kano and Rivers, he expressed confidence that the elections would reflect the will of the people and further strengthen Nigeria’s democratic journey.
Tinubu further urged INEC to enhance voter confidence by ensuring timely accreditation, seamless voting procedures, accurate collation and prompt transmission of results, in line with the new Electoral Act.
INEC is set 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 states.
In Rivers State, bye-elections will be held in the Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies to fill vacancies created by the resignation and death of sitting lawmakers.
In Kano State, polls will take place in Kano Municipal, with 330,228 registered voters across 630 polling units, and in Ungogo constituency, which has 205,418 voters in 384 polling units, following the deaths of two members of the State House of Assembly.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and provisions for electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, while retaining manual collation as a fallback in areas with poor network coverage.
The law also permits the use of manually completed Form EC8A as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results where electronic transmission is disrupted.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the commission has concluded major preparations, including the distribution of non-sensitive materials, training of electoral and security personnel, and configuration of BVAS devices.
The commission has accredited 83 domestic and five foreign observer groups to monitor the elections.
Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has imposed movement restrictions within the territory from 8:00 p.m. on February 20 to 6:00 p.m. on February 21, 2026, to ensure a peaceful voting environment.
