By|| Goodluck E. Adubazi || Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections were held as scheduled on Saturday 21st, February, 2026, largely peaceful across monitored polling units, though some areas recorded low voter turnout and technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
At Polling Unit 017, LEA Primary School, Dutse Alhaji, Bwari Area Council, with 729 registered voters, APC aspirant Joshua Ishaku arrived at exactly 9:40 a.m. to cast his ballot.
After several failed attempts due to BVAS malfunction, he was eventually accredited and voted at 10:29 a.m. His wife, however, was successfully accredited on her first attempt.
Speaking to journalists after voting, Ishaku described the process as peaceful and orderly despite his initial challenges.
“It’s peaceful. The place is decent and nicely spaced, no rancor, and this is what we want to see in our democracy. Voters came out freely to vote for candidates of their choice,” he said.
He attributed his delayed accreditation to a defaced voter card and expressed optimism about the credibility of the INEC.
Similarly, Overcrowding, Voter Frustration in Ushafa
At Polling Unit 001, LEA Primary School, Ushafa, which has 2,350 registered voters, overcrowding and confusion over polling unit allocations led to frustration among voters.
A voter, Gabriel Oluwasijibomi (PU Code 37/02/07/003), at Primary Healthcare, police Sign board, told reporters he was unable to vote after being redirected to three different polling units due to unit splitting. He eventually left without casting his ballot. Another voter, Anichebe Godwin Chukwuemeka, reported a similar experience.
Seamless Process in Kubwa
In contrast, voters in Kubwa, PW Usuma Ward, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election.
The AA Councillorship aspirant, Mrs. Ozonuwe Joyce Kelechi, praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what she described as a seamless process.
However, she noted that unclear addresses following the splitting of polling units caused delays for some voters.
Similarly, PDP Councillorship aspirant Hon. Peter commended the peaceful conduct of the polls.
Other monitored polling units in Kubwa by Standard Times Nigeria Newspaper Correspondent included:
PU 047, Kubwa Primary School – 746 registered voters
PU 024 – 550 registered voters
PU 023 – 529 registered voters
Bwari Area Council has 10 registration areas, 485 polling units, 10 RACs, 2 sub-RACs, and a total of 295,711 registered voters.
Call for Improved BVAS Efficiency.
While commending INEC for improved organization and the splitting of large polling units into smaller, more manageable centers, Ishaku urged the commission to further enhance the efficiency of the BVAS to avoid accreditation delays.
“Gone are the days when you have 6,000 voters in one polling unit. The splitting has made the process easier and less stressful. Well done to INEC,” he said.
Despite isolated technical issues and cases of voter redirection, the overall conduct of the elections across monitored areas in the FCT was peaceful, with stakeholders calling for continued improvements in voter accreditation technology and polling unit coordination.
