Politics
FCT Polls: INEC Publishes List Of Candidates
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of 478 candidates nominated for the FCT Area Council election.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the commission met on Thursday and deliberated on a number of issues.
Okoye said the issues included the conduct of the area council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) scheduled for February12, 2022.
Okoye said eight out of the 14 activities listed for the election had been carried out, including the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates for the election.
“Consequently, the Commission has approved the final list of 478 candidates nominated by 14 political parties to contest for 68 constituencies, made up of 110 candidates as Chairmen and Vice Chairmen for the six Area Councils and 363 candidates for 62 councillorship positions.
“The detailed list of the names, gender, age, academic qualification and disability (if any) of the candidates has been published in the Commission’s FCT office.
“This has also been uploaded on our website and social media platforms, in compliance with the requirement of Section 34 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and for public information,” Okoye said.
The Tide source reports that the summary of the list shows that 55 candidates including three females were nominated for the chairmanship election and one female vice chairman, for the six area councils in FCT.
Also, 363 (made up of 332 male and 31 females) were nominated as candidates for councillorship election in the six area councils.
The Tide reports that for the Abaji Area Council, seven political parties including the APC and PDP nominated candidates for chairmanship election, who are all men.
Also four political parties- ADC, APC, PDP and SDP nominated 40 candidates for the available 10 councilor seats in the area council.
For Abuja Municipal Area Council, 14 political parties including AA, APC, DPD, SDP and YPP nominated candidates for the election, with only one female nominated by NRM and five others nominated for vice chairmanship position.
The list also shows that 98 candidates comprising of 15 females and 83 males were nominated for the 12 councilorship seats in AMAC.
The list also shows that 11 political parties nominated candidates including two females for Bwari chairmanship election.
The list released by INEC also shows that 71 candidates were nominated for 10 councillorship election in the council, with only six of them as female.
For Gwagwalada Area Council, nine political parties nominated candidates, all male, for the chairmanship election and one female for vice chairman.
The list also indicates that 59 candidates including six females would be contesting the 10 councilorship election in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The commission also published list of six candidates, with no female, nominated by six parties for Kuje Area Council election.
Also published was the personal particulars of 44 candidates, with four females nominated by parties for the 10 councilorship seats in Kuje Area Council.
NAN also reports that nine political parties nominated candidates, all men, for Kwali Area Council chairmanship election.
The commission also published list of 51 councilorship candidates, including one female, for the area council.
The list indicated that the ADC, APC, PDP and SDP nominated candidates for all the seats to be contested for in the election
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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