The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that over 1.5 million registered voters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the Area Council election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
In a press statement issued by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Commission described the turnout as impressive and a strong indication of voter readiness for the exercise.
According to INEC, a total of 1,680,315 voters are registered in the FCT as of the close of PVC collection on February 10, 2026. Out of this number, 1,587,025 PVCs have been collected, representing a 94.4 per cent collection rate, while 93,290 cards remain uncollected.
A breakdown of the figures across the six Area Councils shows encouraging performance. Abaji Area Council recorded 75,517 collected PVCs out of 79,471 registered voters, representing a 95.0 per cent collection rate. Bwari Area Council had 276,360 PVCs collected out of 295,711 registered voters, translating to 93.5 per cent.
In Gwagwalada, 196,184 PVCs were collected from 208,057 registered voters, representing 94.3 per cent. Kuje Area Council recorded the highest performance with 144,109 collected PVCs out of 148,286 registered voters, representing an outstanding 97.2 per cent.
Kwali Area Council recorded 99,774 PVCs collected from 107,203 registered voters, representing 93.1 per cent, while the Municipal Area Council had 795,081 PVCs collected out of 841,587 registered voters, representing 94.5 per cent.
The Commission also disclosed that several Registration Areas recorded exceptionally high collection rates, with some exceeding 99 per cent, reflecting strong grassroots participation across the Territory.
INEC commended voters in the FCT for their cooperation and responsiveness throughout the Continuous Voter Registration and PVC collection processes, noting that the impressive turnout demonstrates citizens’ readiness to participate in the electoral process.
The Commission reiterated that only duly registered voters with valid PVCs will be allowed to vote on Election Day. It assured the public that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.
