INEC Sets Date for FCT LG Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 21, 2026, as the date for local government elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The elections will cover the six area councils of the FCT, which are the only local government elections directly conducted by INEC in Nigeria. 

INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this disclosure on Wednesday, 22 January, 2025 during a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties at the INEC Conference Centre in Abuja

According to Yakubu, the decision complies with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates INEC to issue an election notice at least 360 days before the election date. 

The last local government elections in the FCT were held on February 12, 2022, and the tenure of the current chairpersons and councillors is set to expire in 2026.

“Consequently, the Commission has approved that the 2026 Area Council election in FCT will hold on Saturday 21st February 2026. Voting will take place in all the designated Polling Units across the 68 constituencies to elect the six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councilors”, Yakubu said.

The electoral commission said it plans to publish the election notice by February 26, 2025. Party primaries are expected to be conducted between June 9 and June 30, 2025. 

Professor Yakubu also shared updates on INEC’s future plans, including the resumption of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the completion of outstanding bye-elections. 

Addressing the issue of bye-elections, Yakubu revealed that 23 vacancies have occurred in various constituencies since the inauguration of the current National and State Assemblies in June 2023.

“They are unpredictable, unbudgeted and difficult to plan in advance. Worse, some bye-elections lead to more bye-elections. There were situations where a bye-election in one Senatorial District was won by a serving member of the House of Representatives from the same District thereby creating another vacancy.

“In turn, a member of the State Assembly won the bye-election to the House of Representatives thereby creating a vacancy in the State Assembly. Consequently, one bye-election led to three bye-elections. Not only are these bye-elections costly, they also divert the Commission’s attention from its other extensive electoral responsibilities.

“Over the last nine years since 2016, the present Commission has been advocating for a more cost-effective alternative means of filling vacancies as is the case in many jurisdictions around the world. We have similarly been appealing to stakeholders, including political parties, to join the advocacy and for the National Assembly to amend the law accordingly.

“Just three weeks ago, we canvassed this position once again during the defence of our 2025 budget before the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives at the National Assembly. We are glad that more Nigerians are now joining the advocacy. We hope that working together, we will continue to reform and improve on our electoral process,” Yakubu said.