President Bola Tinubu has urged calm and responsibility from voters, security personnel, and electoral officials ahead of supplementary elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers, and Kano states. The appeal, issued via his Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, coincides with the recent assent to the new Electoral Act 2026.
Tinubu called on all eligible voters to participate with confidence, stating that democracy thrives on peace and mutual respect. He specifically directed political parties and their supporters to avoid violence or provocative actions that could undermine the process. The President also warned security agencies against excessive force or voter intimidation, reiterating that their role is to protect lives and ensure ballot integrity.
He assured Nigerians of his administration’s commitment to supporting institutions for free, fair, and credible polls. “To all residents of the FCT, Kano, and Rivers, I commend your civic consciousness. I am confident that these elections will reflect the will of the people,” Tinubu said. He further instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement measures that boost public trust, including prompt accreditation, efficient voting, accurate collation, and rapid result transmission as enabled by the 2026 Electoral Act.
The elections will cover all six area councils in the FCT, where 1,680,315 registered voters are spread across 2,822 polling units. In Rivers State, supplementary polls will be held in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies to fill vacant legislative seats. In Kano, voting will occur in Kano Municipal (330,228 voters, 630 polling units) and Ungogo constituency (205,418 voters, 384 polling units), following the deaths of two state assembly members.
The Electoral Act 2026, signed into law shortly before these elections, formalizes key reforms. It legally mandates the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification and permits electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, with manual collation retained as a backup in areas with poor connectivity.
These supplementary elections serve as an early test for the revised legal framework and INEC’s operational readiness ahead of the 2027 general elections. The outcome and conduct will be closely observed for signals on Nigeria’s democratic consolidation and electoral management reforms.
