• Charges Security Agencies, INEC To Showcase Integrity
• Situation Room Warns Against Democratic Backslide

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for orderliness and restraint ahead of Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano State and Rivers State, urging voters, security agencies and electoral officials to uphold the integrity of the democratic process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct area council elections across the six councils of the FCT, alongside bye-elections in Ahoada East II and Khana II State constituencies in Rivers State, and in Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies in Kano State.

In a statement on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu encouraged all eligible voters to turn out peacefully and exercise their franchise without fear, stressing that democracy flourishes best in an atmosphere of calm, tolerance and mutual respect.

He appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject violence, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and refrain from actions capable of undermining the credibility of the polls.

The President also cautioned security agencies against high-handedness, intimidation or any conduct that could disenfranchise voters or erode public trust.

He emphasised that security personnel are deployed strictly to safeguard lives and property and to protect the sanctity of the ballot.

Calling on INEC to reinforce public confidence in the process, Tinubu urged the commission to ensure timely accreditation, seamless voting, transparent collation and prompt transmission of results in line with the 2026 Electoral Act.

“I assure Nigerians that the Federal Government under my administration will continue to support institutions tasked with delivering free, fair and credible elections,” the President said.

Addressing residents of the FCT, Kano and Rivers, Tinubu commended their civic engagement and expressed confidence that the outcome of the elections would reflect the will of the people and further consolidate Nigeria’s democratic journey.

Saturday’s polls come three days after Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called for transparent elections in the FCT, disclosing that it would deploy 68 accredited observers and receive field reports through its Election Reporting App in collaboration with partner organisations.

While noting that the political atmosphere in the FCT remains calm, the group expressed concern over historically low voter turnout, especially in urban councils like AMAC, warning that public confidence could further decline if transparency safeguards are weakened.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Convener of the Situation Room, Yunusa Z. Ya’u, highlighted security concerns in some areas – risks of vote buying and political intimidation in AMAC, indigene-settler tensions in Gwagwalada, farmer-herder conflicts and kidnapping threats in Bwari, and cross-border pressures in Kwali.

The group urged security agencies to remain professional, non-partisan, and ensure that lawful voters are not intimidated.

Although INEC has deployed the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to all polling units, the Situation Room maintained that the credibility of the process ultimately depends on mandatory electronic transmission of results.

It challenged INEC to ensure 100 per cent real-time upload of Form EC8A to the IReV portal, timely opening of polls, and swift resolution of technical issues to prevent voter disenfranchisement.

The group urged FCT residents to vote peacefully and reject vote trading, stressing that local council elections in the nation’s capital must set the standard for transparency and democratic integrity in Nigeria.

It strongly criticised the swift presidential assent to the amended Electoral Act, warning that the failure to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory represents a serious setback for Nigeria’s democracy.