Bola Tinubu has called on voters, security operatives, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to act peacefully and responsibly during Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers, and Kano.
The elections, slated for February 21, 2026, follow shortly
after the President assented to the Electoral Act 2026.
In a Friday statement issued by his Special Adviser on
Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu encouraged all qualified voters
to participate confidently, stressing that democracy flourishes in a climate of
calm, tolerance, and mutual respect.
He also urged political parties, aspirants, and their
supporters to refrain from violence, provocative rhetoric, or any conduct
capable of compromising the integrity of the process.
The President warned against excessive force, voter
intimidation, or actions that might disenfranchise citizens or weaken public
confidence, noting that security agencies are deployed to safeguard lives,
property, and the integrity of the ballot.
Tinubu stated, “Fellow Nigerians, I assure you that the
Federal Government under my administration will continue to support
institutions responsible for delivering free, fair, and credible elections.
“To all residents of the FCT, Kano, and Rivers, I commend
your civic consciousness. I am confident that these elections will reflect the
will of the people and further strengthen our democratic journey as a nation.”
He further directed INEC to implement measures that will
enhance voter confidence, including prompt accreditation, seamless voting,
accurate collation, and swift transmission of results, in accordance with the
2026 Electoral Act.
INEC is set to conduct polls across the six area councils of
the FCT, with 1,680,315 registered voters spread over 2,822 polling units, in
addition to bye-elections in Rivers and Kano states.
In Rivers, supplementary elections will take place in the
Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies to replace lawmakers who vacated
their seats due to resignation and death.
Meanwhile, in Kano State, voting will occur in Kano
Municipal, which has 330,228 registered voters across 630 polling units, and in
Ungogo constituency, comprising 205,418 voters in 384 polling units, following
the deaths of two State House of Assembly members.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, such as
formally embedding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in law and permitting
electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, while
maintaining manual collation as a backup in locations with limited network
connectivity.
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