The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that over 1.58 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected by registered voters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the forthcoming Area Council Election.

In a press statement released on Thursday, the Commission revealed that as of the close of the PVC collection exercise on Tuesday, 10th February 2026, a total of 1,587,025 PVCs had been collected from the 1,680,315 registered voters in the six Area Councils. This represents an impressive overall collection rate of 94.4 per cent.

The statement, signed by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information & Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, noted that while the numbers are encouraging, 93,290 PVCs still remain uncollected across the Territory.

A breakdown of the figures at the Area Council level showed a strong performance across all six councils, with Kuje Area Council recording the highest collection rate.

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· Kuje Area Council: 144,109 collected out of 148,286 registered voters – 97.2%
· Abaji Area Council: 75,517 collected out of 79,471 registered voters – 95.0%
· Municipal Area Council: 795,081 collected out of 841,587 registered voters – 94.5%
· Gwagwalada Area Council: 196,184 collected out of 208,057 registered voters – 94.3%
· Bwari Area Council: 276,360 collected out of 295,711 registered voters – 93.5%
· Kwali Area Council: 99,774 collected out of 107,203 registered voters – 93.1%

The Commission further noted that at the Registration Area (RA) level, several units recorded collection rates exceeding 99 per cent, which it described as a testament to strong grassroots engagement across the FCT.

INEC commended the voters in the FCT for their responsiveness and cooperation throughout the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and PVC collection exercises, interpreting the high collection rates as a strong indicator of citizen readiness to participate in the electoral process.

The Commission reiterated that only duly registered voters in possession of a valid PVC will be allowed to vote in the election scheduled to hold on Saturday, 21st February 2026. It assured the public that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure the election is free, fair, and credible.