A civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, on Saturday scored the conduct of the 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, citing logistical lapses, poor voter turnout and incidents of vote buying.
In its preliminary statement on the polls conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission across the six area councils of the FCT, Yiaga Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo explaied that though the election was largely peaceful, significant administrative shortcomings undermined the process.
The elections were held to fill six chairmanship positions and 62 councillorship seats across the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji and Kwali.
Itodo disclosed that the CSO deployed trained and accredited roving observers across the 62 wards of the FCT to monitor opening procedures, accreditation, voting and counting.
He said, “Overall, the election was conducted in a largely peaceful atmosphere. Voters who presented themselves at polling units were afforded the opportunity to exercise their franchise without widespread disruption.
“Notwithstanding this enabling environment, voter turnout was generally low, with most polling units recording poor turnout.”
The organisation also highlighted the late opening of polling units, particularly in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, where observers reported that as of 9:00 a.m., set-up activities were still ongoing in most polling units observed, with accreditation and voting commencing around 10:00 a.m. on average.
Yiaga further noted cases of missing materials, including the absence of a voter register in a polling unit in Wuse Ward until concerns were raised, as well as the non-availability of voting cubicles and an ink pad in some locations in Abaji Area Council.
Itodo also raised concerns over the redistribution of voters to newly created polling units without adequate prior notice, stating that while INEC sent SMS notifications, many were delivered on election day, causing confusion and congestion at polling centres.
“The lack of timely and effective communication generated confusion at several polling locations, as numerous voters spent over an hour attempting to ascertain their designated polling units.
“In multiple instances, this administrative shortcoming contributed to congestion and overcrowding, thereby undermining orderly queue management and potentially discouraging voter participation,” he stated.
Yiaga further reported that some polling units closed before the official 2:30 p.m. deadline, contrary to guidelines requiring officials to remain until the last voter in the queue had voted.
On election security, the CSO observed heavy deployment of security personnel in certain locations, which it said, in some instances, impeded the movement of accredited observers and restricted access to polling units by voters.
The organisation also flagged incidents of vote buying during the election, describing it as a “persistent menace” that continued despite prior assurances by INEC and security agencies to curb the practice.
Itodo urged INEC to ensure that Form EC 60E (People’s Results Sheet) is posted at polling units and that results are uploaded to the IReV portal and properly transmitted to ward collation centres to strengthen transparency and public trust.
He also called on security agencies to act with professionalism and impartiality, and urged political parties and their supporters to refrain from disrupting the process.
Yiaga Africa said its observers would continue monitoring the collation process and the INEC results portal, insisting that the integrity of the outcome depends on strict adherence to laid-down procedures.
