…mock accreditation exercise holds February 7
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has intensified preparations for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for 21 February 2026, alongside other key electoral activities ahead of the 2027 General Election.
This was made known in a post on its X handle on Friday.
Speaking on day 3 of its 2026 Regular Stakeholders’ Meeting with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, described 2026 as a critical electoral year requiring heightened security coordination, intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration to ensure peaceful and credible elections.
INEC disclosed that major preparations for the FCT polls have been concluded, including the delivery of non-sensitive materials, training of electoral and security personnel, configuration of BVAS devices and a mock accreditation exercise scheduled for 7 February 2026.
The National Security Adviser and ICCES Co-Chair, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, represented by by Abdullahi Hassan, Director of Internal Security commended security agencies for their professionalism during the Anambra Governorship Election and assured Nigerians of robust security deployment for all upcoming elections.
Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by CP Abayomi Shogunle, reaffirmed that the Nigeria Police Force will deploy massively for all elections and continue to provide round-the-clock protection for INEC personnel, facilities and materials nationwide.
Beyond the FCT elections, the Commission will conduct bye-elections in Rivers and Kano States, off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States, and a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to strengthen the electoral process ahead of 2027.
