The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections will take place on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made this announcement during a consultative meeting with political parties on Wednesday in Abuja.
Yakubu explained that the current chairmen and councillors, whose tenure began following the February 12, 2022 elections, will complete their term next year.
As a result, the commission has scheduled elections to elect six area council chairmen and 62 councillors across the 68 constituencies in the FCT.
In compliance with legal requirements, INEC will publish the election notice on February 26, 2025. Party primaries are slated to hold from June 9 to June 30, 2025, while the candidate nomination portal will be open from July 21 to August 11, 2025.
The final list of candidates is expected to be released on September 22, 2025, with campaigns commencing on September 24 and ending at midnight on February 19, 2026.
Yakubu reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and credible elections across all polling units in the FCT.
