•INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a mock accreditation and results upload exercise ahead of the February 21, 2026, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
In a statement signed by INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, the electoral umpire said the mock exercise will take place tomorrow, Saturday, February 7, 2026, in 289 selected polling units between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m, reports Channels TV.
According to the commission, the exercise is aimed at ensuring a hitch-free Area Council election by testing accreditation procedures and the results upload process.
INEC encouraged voters in the affected polling units to turn out with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the mock exercise, noting that their participation would help fine-tune preparations for the main election.
The Commission said that the list of designated polling units for the mock exercise is available on its official website.
INEC also assured residents of the FCT of its readiness to conduct a credible and successful Area Council election on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission is holding a security meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on election security.
The meeting is the culmination of a series of engagements the electoral umpire has held with key stakeholders since the beginning of the week.
According to INEC, the meeting is intended to brief security agencies on forthcoming elections, including the FCT Area Council polls and the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for June.
The INEC chairman said the engagement is also aimed at fine-tuning security preparations to ensure the safety of voters, election personnel, and materials during the polls.
Both the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, are represented at the meeting.
The INEC chairman also urged security agencies to closely monitor and curb vote buying and selling and to ensure strict enforcement of the law during the elections.
