The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 1.58 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

The update was contained in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.

According to the commission, the PVC collection exercise recorded a high turnout, signalling strong voter readiness for the polls.

The commission disclosed that as of the close of collection on February 10, 2026, a total of 1,680,315 voters were registered in the FCT.

Out of this figure, 1,587,025 PVCs had been collected, representing a 94.4 per cent collection rate, while 93,290 cards remained uncollected.

INEC said the performance across the six area councils reflected encouraging levels of participation.

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 from 295,711 registered voters, translating to 93.5 per cent.

Gwagwalada Area Council recorded 196,184 collected PVCs out of 208,057 registered voters, representing 94.3 per cent.

Kuje Area Council posted the highest rate, with 144,109 PVCs collected out of 148,286 registered voters, representing 97.2 per cent.

Kwali Area Council recorded 99,774 collected PVCs from 107,203 registered voters, representing 93.1 per cent.

The Municipal Area Council recorded 795,081 collected PVCs out of 841,587 registered voters, representing 94.5 per cent.

The commission added that several Registration Areas recorded collection rates exceeding 99 per cent, indicating strong grassroots engagement across the territory.

INEC commended residents for their cooperation during the Continuous Voter Registration and PVC collection exercises, noting that the figures suggest a high level of citizen preparedness for the elections.

The statement emphasised that “only duly registered voters in possession of valid PVCs will be allowed to vote on Election Day,” adding that all necessary arrangements had been concluded to ensure a free, fair, and credible process.

The FCT Area Council elections are the only local government polls in Nigeria conducted directly by INEC rather than state electoral commissions.

Voters across the six councils, Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali, will elect six chairmen and 62 councillors across 68 constituencies.

INEC has announced that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, with results transmitted electronically to its Result Viewing Portal.

Movement restrictions are expected to be enforced from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on election day, while security agencies have confirmed extensive deployments to maintain order.

Campaign activities officially ended at midnight on February 19, two days before voters head to the polls.