Kuje Results delay: INEC blames tough terrain amid voter apathy

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has come out to Clair the air over delay in announcing results during the just concluded Area Council election at Kuje 

The delay according to the electoral body stemmed from the challenging terrain in Kabi ward, which slowed collation of the results.

This was revealed in a statement signed by Wilfred Ifogah, Acting Director of Voter Education and Publicity.

This clarification is also coming hours after representative of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Haruna Jatau alleged that there were infractions in four polling units during the election that was held on Saturday, 21st of February 2026

INEC said “The delay in the result of kuje Area Council is due to the difficult terrain in Kabi ward which delayed the financial collation of the Area Council result” 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expressed appreciation to FCT electorate for their cooperation and participation throughout the process.

While voter apathy remains a concern, the commission noted significant improvement over past elections. In 2022, only 148,685 voters participated—9.4% of registered voters. This time, over 239,210 voters turned out, representing about 15% of the 1,680,315 total registered voters in the FCT”

As of 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026, 93% of polling unit results had been uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal. Residents and interested parties can access results from the six area councils via the portal.

“The public will recall that the Commission displayed the register of voters at designated centers/polling units four days before the area council election to enable voters confirm their details and polling unit locations. Text messages and emails were sent to affected voters on February 18–21, 2026, as reminders for split polling units.” the statement added

“Contrary to claims that voters were migrated to new polling units, no such migration occurred,” the statement emphasized. “INEC created split polling units in large units with over 1,250 registered voters to avoid congestion. These splits are located just a few meters from the originals, within the same premises.”

According to INEC’s election dashboard, 45% of polling units opened by 8:30 a.m. on Election Day (Saturday, February 21), with all confirmed open by 10 a.m. Some voters faced challenges locating their units.

INEC thanked FCT residents for their peaceful conduct and cooperation.

The commission conducted elections on February 21 for chairmen in the six FCT area councils and 62 councilorship seats. Results were announced late Saturday for most, except Kuje, declared at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.