Electoral umpire begins PVC distribution in Abuja
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the names of candidates forwarded to it by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, in respect of the February 21, 2026, Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
 
He issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by 17 candidates of the ADC, challenging the refusal of INEC to give them electronic access to enable them to contest for elective positions in the forthcoming polls.
 
Ruling on the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1907/25, the judge held that the evidence provided by the plaintiffs was credible enough for him to attach a “more probate value”, adding that the applicants also proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt to earn the reliefs sought in their originating summons.

Justice Umar further directed INEC to give the ADC electronic access to upload the names of the plaintiffs as its candidates.
 
A 27-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one of the plaintiffs, Onuoha Goodness, claimed that the 1st to 16th plaintiffs participated in the primary election of the ADC after the withdrawal of candidates who participated in the main primary election, whose names were uploaded on the portal of the ADC before the close of submission on August 11, 2025.
 
She added that the 17th plaintiff was nominated as a vice chairmanship candidate of the ADC for the 2026 Abuja Municipal Area Council and vice chairmanship election.

She explained that after their emergence, ADC “made efforts to upload to our INEC Forms EC9 and EC13 categories to the portal but could not get access to do so.”
 
Goodness explained that correspondence between ADC ICT staff and INEC ICT staff revealed that “the substitution notification letter from ADC to INEC was the issue as the access code given to ADC through its former National Chairman could not be used by the current National Chairman since INEC did not recognise the signatures of the current National Chairman and National Secretary, David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola.”

In a related development, INEC has announced the commencement of the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the poll.

 In a statement on its official X handle yesterday, the electoral umpire urged eligible voters in the FCT to take advantage of the exercise to collect their PVCs.

According to the commission, PVC collection would take place at voters’ respective Registration Areas (wards) from January 22 to January 26, between 9 a.m and 3 p.m. daily.

INEC added that eligible voters, who are unable to collect their PVCs at their wards within the stipulated period, would be able to do so thereafter at the INEC Area Council offices across the FCT.