President Bola Tinubu has cautioned voters, political actors, electoral officials and security agencies to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly ahead of Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers and Kano states.
The elections, scheduled for February 21, 2026, come shortly after the President assented to the Electoral Act 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu encouraged eligible voters to participate confidently, noting that democracy thrives in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance and mutual respect.
He urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid violence, inflammatory rhetoric or any actions capable of undermining the integrity of the electoral process.
The President also warned security agencies against the use of excessive force, voter intimidation or any conduct that could disenfranchise citizens, stressing that their primary role is to protect lives, property and the sanctity of the ballot.
Tinubu assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would continue to support institutions responsible for delivering credible elections. He further directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure prompt accreditation, seamless voting, accurate collation and swift transmission of results in line with the provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act.
INEC is expected to conduct polls across the six area councils of the FCT, with over 1.6 million registered voters across 2,822 polling units. In Rivers State, supplementary elections will hold in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies, while in Kano State, voting will take place in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies following vacancies in the State House of Assembly.
The Electoral Act 2026 introduces key reforms, including the formal legal backing of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, with manual collation retained as a backup in areas with limited network coverage.
