President Bola Tinubu called on voters, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure peaceful and credible elections
He directed INEC to guarantee prompt accreditation, seamless voting and swift electronic transmission of results under the Electoral Act 2026
Supplementary and bye-elections were scheduled in Rivers and Kano, while polls were set across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory

President Bola Tinubu has called on voters, security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly during Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers and Kano states.

The polls, scheduled for 21 February 2026, come shortly after the President assented to the Electoral Act 2026, which introduces significant reforms aimed at strengthening the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged eligible voters to turn out confidently, emphasising that democracy thrives in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance and mutual respect.

He also appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid violence, inflammatory rhetoric or any actions capable of undermining the integrity of the elections.

The President cautioned security operatives against the use of excessive force or conduct that could intimidate voters, disenfranchise citizens or erode public trust. He noted that security personnel have been deployed strictly to safeguard lives, property and the sanctity of the ballot.

“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,” Tinubu said.

“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 ensure prompt accreditation of voters, seamless voting procedures, accurate collation and the swift transmission of results in line with the provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act.

INEC is set to conduct polls across the six area councils of the FCT, where 1,680,315 registered voters are spread across 2,822 polling units. In addition, bye-elections and supplementary polls will take place in Rivers and Kano states.

In Rivers State, supplementary elections will be held in the Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies to fill seats vacated due to resignation and death. 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 members of the State House of Assembly.

The Electoral Act 2026 formally embeds the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System into law and permits the electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, while retaining manual collation as a safeguard in areas with limited network coverage.

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Tinubu urges peaceful conduct ahead of FCT, Rivers, Kano elections

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