The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Nyesom Wike, has commended the peaceful conduct of the Area Councils elections held across the six councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), describing the process as orderly and violence-free.
Wike, who personally monitored the elections on Saturday, February 21, 2026, expressed satisfaction with voter participation in satellite towns, noting that turnout in those areas was impressive compared to the city centre.
“We thank God that everywhere is peaceful. The problem we have is low voter turnout, particularly in the cities, and that has always been the case. But going round some of the satellite towns, you can see that it is quite impressive,” he said.
He stressed that the most important achievement of the exercise was its peaceful nature. “What’s important is that the election is peaceful — no violence, no snatching of ballot papers and ballot boxes,” he added.
Wike commended security agencies in the FCT for maintaining order and also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the progress recorded so far.
On the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the Minister said early reports indicated that the technology was functioning effectively.
“From what is going on here, everything is moving well in terms of using the BVAS. So, we commend INEC for what we have seen so far,” he stated.
The Minister urged residents to remain law-abiding and ensure the electoral process concludes peacefully, warning against attempts by disgruntled persons to disrupt the exercise.
