Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are preparing for the Area Council Elections tomorrow, February 21, 2026. This local election has taken on national significance due to the high-profile involvement of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The Work-Free Friday

To ensure a hitch-free process, today has been declared a work-free day in the FCT. This allows for:

• Logistics Deployment: INEC has been moving sensitive materials to the six area councils (Abuja Municipal, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Kwali, and Abaji).

• Security Saturation: There is a heavy presence of security personnel to prevent the "voter intimidation" issues that plagued previous cycles.

• Voter Turnout: With over 1.5 million PVCs collected, the stakes are high as the ruling APC and the opposition PDP and Labor Party fight for control of the nation's capital.