The Independent National Electoral Commission has unveiled the final roster of 17 candidates cleared to contest in the 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, scheduled for Saturday, February 12, 2026.
The announcement was made on Tuesday in Abuja through a statement by Mr. Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
Olumekun explained that the release of the list came after the legal window for candidate withdrawal and substitution had closed.
He recalled that INEC had earlier, on August 18, published the personal particulars of contestants produced from political parties’ primaries.
According to him, 17 political parties had met the deadline of 6 p.m. on Monday, August 11, to submit their candidates’ details using Form EC9.
“With the publication of this final list, no further withdrawal or replacement of candidates will be allowed, except in the unfortunate event of the death of a candidate or running mate before election day, as provided by Section 34(1) of the Electoral Act,” Olumekun said.
He further noted that a detailed register of candidates, including their parties, ages, genders, and academic qualifications, had been uploaded to INEC’s website and social media handles for public access and scrutiny.
