By Ihechi Enyinnaya
With five days to the February 21, 2026 Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has issued a stern warning to transport unions and electoral staff to ensure seamless logistics and strict compliance with electoral guidelines.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja during separate engagements with transport union leaders and INEC FCT staff, Prof. Amupitan stressed that the success of the election would depend largely on efficient movement of materials and personnel across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Logistics Critical to Election Success
At a meeting with leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the INEC Chairman described transport logistics as the backbone of electoral operations.
“An election can only be as good as its logistics,” he said, noting that 1,132 vehicles would be engaged to deploy materials to 2,822 polling units spread across the FCT.
He warned that the Commission would not tolerate excuses capable of undermining the timely distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials. According to him, voting is scheduled to commence at 8:30 a.m., and materials must arrive at polling units between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., requiring vehicles to depart Registration Area Centres (RACs) by 6:00 a.m.
Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over previous experiences where unserviceable vehicles were deployed, forcing INEC to activate contingency arrangements. He directed Electoral Officers to closely supervise logistics implementation at the Area Council level to ensure strict adherence to agreements.
Describing the FCT as “the heart of Nigeria,” he urged transport unions to activate internal disciplinary mechanisms to prevent diversion or hijacking of electoral materials, especially as the election is expected to attract national and international attention.
Unions Assure Cooperation
Responding, NURTW’s Director of Legal Services, Barr. Mercy Ibeh, acknowledged the Commission’s concerns and said regular engagements between the unions and INEC had helped address operational challenges.
She referenced difficulties experienced during a previous election in Anambra State but expressed optimism that lessons learned and solutions profiled during the current engagement would improve performance in the FCT poll. She also appealed for support to strengthen the union’s transport capacity.
The FCT Chairman of NURTW, Abdullahi Dauda, assured the Commission of the union’s commitment, stating that designated officers would monitor vehicle deployment and ensure prompt reporting by drivers.
While conceding that challenges are inevitable in large-scale operations, he expressed confidence that arrangements put in place would significantly improve logistics performance during the forthcoming election.
In a separate meeting with INEC management and staff in the FCT, Prof. Amupitan urged officials to uphold professionalism, transparency and strict adherence to the law.
He reminded staff that INEC, as a constitutional body, is responsible for conducting elections for chairmen and councillors in the six Area Councils of the FCT — the only local government elections conducted by the Commission nationwide.
“Now it is your turn to showcase to the country and indeed the whole world what you can do,” he told staff, emphasising that both local and international observers would monitor the exercise.
The Chairman called on Electoral Officers to act as ambassadors of the Commission at the grassroots, noting that public trust in the electoral process depends largely on their conduct.
He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to technological innovation, particularly the nationwide deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) since 2022, and expressed satisfaction with its performance during the recent mock accreditation exercise in the FCT.
Prof. Amupitan directed that all RACs be activated on Friday, February 20, with security personnel and vehicles in place to guarantee timely deployment. He also disclosed that the Commission had conducted a risk assessment identifying flashpoints in parts of Bwari, Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils, and was working closely with security agencies to ensure a peaceful poll.
Earlier, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aminu Idris, informed the Chairman that all non-sensitive materials had been received and deployed to the six Area Council offices. He added that staff training commenced between February 13 and 15, with additional sessions ongoing to address turnout gaps.
The Administrative Secretary of the FCT office, Mrs. Bimbo Oladunjoye, expressed appreciation for the Chairman’s visit and urged staff to work in unity to ensure the success of the election.
The FCT Area Council election will see about 570 candidates contesting chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions across the territory’s polling units.