Yiaga Africa Hails Peaceful Conduct of FCT Area Council Elections

James Adamu in Abuja

Election observation group, Yiaga Africa, has hailed the peaceful conduct of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections held on Saturday, 21st February 2026.

In its preliminary statement released on Saturday, the organisation noted that despite some logistical challenges, voters were largely able to exercise their franchise without widespread disruption.

The group deployed trained and accredited roving observers to systematically monitor the elections across all sixty-two wards of the FCT, covering polling units to observe opening procedures, accreditation, voting, and counting.

“Overall, the election was conducted in a largely peaceful atmosphere. Voters who presented themselves at polling units were afforded the opportunity to exercise their franchise without widespread disruption”, the statement read.

However, the enthusiastic assessment of the election’s peaceful nature was tempered by observations of significant logistical hurdles and voter apathy. Yiaga Africa reported that voter turnout was generally low, with most polling units recording poor attendance.

Furthermore, the group noted that logistical challenges adversely affected the timely commencement of polling, particularly in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where delays in the deployment of personnel and materials contributed to late openings.

The observers also highlighted an administrative lapse concerning the relocation of certain polling units. Yiaga Africa stated that inadequate and untimely communication of these changes to voters generated confusion and may have resulted in voter disenfranchisement, warning that such lapses “have significant implications for electoral access and public confidence in the process.”

It is important to note that Yiaga Africa’s Watching the Vote (WTV) preliminary statement is based on direct observation of the process and does not include a Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) for these elections.

The organization announced that its collation observers will deploy to Ward and Area Council Collation Centres to observe the results management process and will release further findings at the conclusion of results collation.