For Immediate Release
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory,
20 February 2026.
Local Government, Local Power: CLEEN Foundation Urge Stakeholders to Keep the FCT Council Election Peaceful and People-Driven
As residents of the Federal Capital Territory prepare to elect their council chairpersons and councillors, CLEEN Foundation calls on all stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of the FCT Council Election and ensure that power truly returns to the people at the grassroots through peaceful, lawful, and transparent processes scheduled for Saturday, 21 February 2026. As part of her Election Security Management mandate, CLEEN Foundation will observe the FCT Area Council elections with particular focus on the conduct of security agencies, the security environment at polling and collation centres, and the safety and protection of voters’ rights. Similarly, the CLEEN Foundation will open her Election Security Support Centre on Saturday morning together with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room to track developments, collect real time reports from her deployed observers, verify and analyze them for immediate escalation to security agencies or INEC for immediate response to observed incidents on the Election Day.
Local government is the closest tier of governance to the people. It determines access to primary healthcare, basic education, markets, sanitation, and community infrastructure. When local elections are credible, democracy is strengthened from the bottom up. When they are compromised, citizen trust erodes at its foundation.
INEC and Security Preparations
CLEEN Foundation commends the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for extensive preparations. INEC has trained ad-hoc staff and will deploy approximately 11,288 polling officials across 2,822 polling units to manage accreditation and voting processes. INEC preparatory measures observed include the distribution of election materials, training of ad-hoc staff, testing of BVAS devices, and sustained engagement with stakeholders through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
Furthermore, CLEEN Foundation also acknowledges the readiness of security agencies, operating under the ICCES framework, with plans for coordinated deployment across polling units, collation centres, and key transport routes in all six Area Councils. CLEEN Foundation emphasises that security personnel must remain neutral, professional, and respectful of human rights, while ensuring a visible but non-intimidating presence. The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) have mobilised personnel for comprehensive election security coverage across the six Area Councils. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command, supported by sister agencies such as the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has implemented a massive deployment of officers to secure the elections.
Security Agencies: Neutrality Is Non-Negotiable
Security agencies deployed for election duties must operate strictly within constitutional and statutory mandates. Their presence must reassure voters, not intimidate them. Professional conduct, proportional response, and impartial enforcement of the law are critical to maintaining public confidence.
We urge security commanders to ensure that personnel are properly briefed on rules of engagement, crowd management standards, and the protection of vulnerable groups including women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Specifically, the NSCDC FCT Command has deployed approximately 4,000 personnel to enhance voter protection, deter intimidation, and prevent security breaches before, during, and after the elections. In further support of electoral order, movement in the FCT will be restricted from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on election day, with exemptions for essential service providers and accredited election officials.
Electoral Risk Environment and Hotspots
Despite the preparations and some peaceful campaigns observed, CLEEN Foundation trend analysis of electoral risk factors indicates that vote buying, power of incumbency, lack of transparency in result collation processes are major factors that are most likely to cause violence during the elections. The gap in knowledge of the new Electoral Act 2026, misinformation and late Supreme Court judgement on Bwari Area Council candidates for the elections will most likely impact on the credibility of the FCT Area Council elections.
Identified Hotspot Areas and Risk Factors
Based on security trends, past incidents, and community-level risk indicators, CLEEN Foundation highlights the following areas as requiring heightened attention:
- Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC):
High population density, intense political competition, and recurring criminal incidents in peri-urban districts increase the risk of election-related tensions and crowd-control challenges.
- Bwari Area Council:
Reports of kidnappings and attacks in remote communities raise concerns about voter turnout, safe movement of election materials, and security of polling personnel.
- Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils:
Their proximity to neighbouring states exposes them to spill-over criminal activity, including highway attacks and bandit movements, posing risks to election logistics and voter mobility.
- Kwali and Abaji Area Councils:
Though largely rural, these councils have recorded sporadic violent incidents along major routes, which could disrupt election-day transportation if not adequately secured.
Calls to Key Stakeholders
CLEEN Foundation calls on:
- Security Agencies to maintain neutrality, respect human rights, respond promptly to incidents, and ensure that security deployment does not interfere with the voting process.
- INEC to ensure transparency, timely logistics, and clear communication with stakeholders and the public.
- Political Parties and Candidates to refrain from violence, hate speech, and inducement of voters, and to respect the rules of the electoral process.
- Media and Civil Society to promote accurate reporting, counter misinformation, and support voter education.
- Citizens and Voters to participate peacefully, obey lawful instructions, and report suspicious activities through appropriate channels.
Conclusion
CLEEN Foundation reiterates that peaceful elections are a collective responsibility, security agencies, political actors, the media, civil society, and citizens. The integrity of this process will signal whether local governance remains accountable to the people or drifts further from them. This election is more than a political contest. It is a test of whether governance in the Federal Capital Territory truly reflects the will of its residents.