The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to ensure that every valid vote counts in the forthcoming February Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and the August Osun State governorship poll.
The assurance was given by the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, and the FCT, Mr. Aminu Idris, during INEC’s 2026 Induction and Strategic Retreat organised for the newly appointed National Chairman, National Commissioners and RECs.
Speaking on the sidelines of the retreat, Agboke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that INEC would strictly adhere to the rule of law in conducting transparent and credible elections in Osun State.
He said the commission was determined to ensure that the will of the people prevailed at the polls, stressing that there would be no exceptions in the application of electoral laws and guidelines.
According to him, INEC would build on lessons learnt from the Anambra governorship election, as well as draw insights from the upcoming FCT Area Council elections and the Ekiti governorship poll.
Agboke emphasised the importance of continuous engagement with stakeholders, noting that regular consultations had contributed to the peaceful conduct of recent party primaries in Osun State.
He, however, identified vote-buying and electoral violence as the major challenges confronting elections in Nigeria, urging political parties, civil society groups and other stakeholders to work with INEC to address them.
Agboke also called for increased efforts to tackle voter apathy, insisting that political parties and their spokespersons must do more to mobilise and educate the electorate.
“The most important thing at this point is to assure and reassure the people, and to rebuild their confidence in the electoral process,” he said.
On his part, Idris said INEC was fully prepared to conduct free, fair and credible Area Council elections in the FCT on February 21.
He explained that the commission had released and largely implemented the timetable and schedule of activities, adding that the distribution of the voters’ register to political parties and the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were the next critical steps.
Idris said PVCs for voters who registered during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, as well as previously uncollected cards, would be available for collection from January 15.
Expressing optimism about voter turnout, he said INEC expected a higher participation rate than in the last FCT Area Council elections and assured that adequate measures were in place to ensure a peaceful process.
NAN reports that the retreat was attended by senior INEC officials from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
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