Tinubu Calls for Peaceful Voting in FCT, Kano, and Rivers Elections
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for calm and restraint ahead of Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano State, and Rivers State. He urged voters, security agencies, and electoral officials to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will hold area council elections across the six councils of the FCT. Bye-elections will also take place in Ahoada East II and Khana II State constituencies in Rivers, and Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies in Kano State.
In a statement on Friday, Tinubu encouraged all eligible voters to turn out peacefully and exercise their votes without fear. He said democracy works best when there is calm, tolerance, and mutual respect among citizens.
The President appealed to political parties, candidates, and supporters to reject violence, avoid inflammatory statements, and steer clear of actions that could undermine the credibility of the elections.
He also warned security agencies against intimidation or high-handedness that could prevent voters from participating. Tinubu stressed that their role is to protect lives, property, and the sanctity of the ballot.
Tinubu urged INEC to ensure smooth accreditation, transparent voting, proper collation, and prompt transmission of results, in line with the 2026 Electoral Act. He assured Nigerians that his government will support institutions delivering free, fair, and credible elections.
Addressing residents of the FCT, Kano, and Rivers, the President praised their civic engagement and expressed confidence that the election results would reflect the will of the people and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room also called for transparent elections in the FCT. It said it will deploy 68 accredited observers and gather field reports through its Election Reporting App with partner organizations.
The group expressed concern over historically low voter turnout in urban councils like AMAC and warned that public confidence could decline if transparency measures are weakened. It highlighted security risks including vote buying, political intimidation, indigene-settler tensions, farmer-herder conflicts, and kidnapping threats in some areas.
The Situation Room urged INEC to ensure full real-time transmission of results from all polling units using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV portal. It also called on FCT residents to vote peacefully, reject vote trading, and ensure the council elections set a standard for transparency and democratic integrity in Nigeria.