INEC begins ward PVC distribution in FCT

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the ward-level distribution of 128,396 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in preparation for the 2026 Area Council elections scheduled for February 21.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Malam Aminu Kasimu Idris, made the disclosure on Tuesday during a media briefing held at the INEC FCT Conference Hall in Abuja. He explained that the exercise is aimed at ensuring eligible voters collect their PVCs well ahead of the polls.

Idris said the in-person PVC collection exercise will run from January 22 to January 26, 2026, between 9am and 3pm daily, in all 62 registration areas (wards) across the six area councils of the FCT. He added that eligible voters who are unable to collect their PVCs within the period would have another opportunity to do so at INEC area council offices afterwards.

He explained that the PVCs available for collection include those of newly registered voters, voters who transferred their registration within or into the FCT, applicants for replacement of lost or defaced cards, as well as cards from previous registration exercises that were yet to be collected.

The REC reiterated that the PVC remains the only valid document for voter accreditation, as stipulated under Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended). He stressed that PVCs would not be issued by proxy and must be collected in person by their rightful owners.

Providing an update on voter registration, Idris said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the FCT was suspended on October 12, 2025, after 106,855 persons registered as new voters. Following the mandatory deduplication exercise, 102,307 valid new voters were added to the register.

He said the development raised the total number of registered voters in the FCT to 1,680,315, from 1,570,307 recorded during the 2023 general election. He also disclosed that 8,476 voters transferred into the FCT, while 775 transferred out within the same period.

On preparations for the polls, Idris said INEC had recorded significant progress, including the publication of the final list of candidates, monitoring of campaigns, receipt of non-sensitive materials and activation of BVAS devices.