By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Despite ending without widespread violence, the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections have come under sharp scrutiny, as leading civic observers flagged voter apathy, technical failures, administrative lapses and pockets of misconduct that they say undermined the credibility of the exercise.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), in partnership with BISIGI Africa, described the polls as “largely peaceful but operationally weak,” warning that calm alone does not equate to credible elections.

At the post election conference jointly presided over by PPDC’s Chief Executive Officer, Lucy James Abagi, and her BISIGI Africa counterpart, Tina Chidi, the groups said their accredited observers were deployed to more than 50 polling units across all six Area Councils – Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali — cutting across urban, peri-urban and rural communities.

While commending voters who turned out and acknowledging election officials and security personnel for maintaining relative peace, the observers painted a troubling picture of low participation and systemic inefficiencies.

According to the groups, voter turnout was strikingly poor in about 60 per cent of the polling units monitored, with participation in many locations hovering between 10 and 15 per cent of registered voters by midday. The trend, they said, cut across socio-economic lines , from highbrow districts such as Garki, Wuse and Gwarinpa in AMAC to rural communities in Abaji and other councils.

In urban centres, particularly within AMAC, the observers linked the low turnout to growing voter apathy, distrust in electoral outcomes and disillusionment with local governance.

Speaking, the PPDC’s boss, Abagi, said “In several polling units, voters reportedly abandoned the process due to delayed commencement of voting, technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and confusion stemming from changes to previously assigned polling units.”

“Peace alone does not guarantee electoral credibility,” Abagi declared while presenting the findings.

She noted that, “The quality of participation, operational efficiency and integrity safeguards are equally critical to democratic legitimacy.”

The groups disclosed that at least 40 per cent of observed polling units failed to commence voting at the official 8:30 a.m. start time.

“ In some instances, accreditation and voting did not begin until close to midday. The delays were attributed to late arrival of officials, delayed delivery of sensitive materials, the use of polling units as distribution hubs, and, in certain cases, waiting for security personnel before setting up, “the groups said.

They noted that such delays disproportionately discouraged early voters , especially women, elderly citizens and working-class residents who could not afford to wait for hours.

“Technical performance of BVAS devices was also inconsistent. While some units recorded smooth accreditation, about 40 per cent experienced challenges, including poor network connectivity and battery failures due to lack of backup power. In several cases, accreditation was suspended for extended periods, prompting frustrated voters to leave, “they added.

The heavy reliance on network connectivity without adequate contingency power solutions, the observers said, exposed serious planning gaps that weakened public confidence.

Beyond turnout and technology concerns, PPDC and BISIGI Africa criticised what they described as inefficient deployment of public resources. They cited Hajo Ventures Polling Unit 065 in City Centre (Area Code 01, AMAC), where only one registered voter was listed, yet a full complement of election officials, security personnel and materials was deployed.

“Similarly, City Centre Polling Units 134, 135 and 137 recorded just 40, 21 and 27 registered voters respectively.

Maintaining fully staffed and equipped polling units for such minimal voter populations, the groups argued, represents a waste of personnel allowances, logistics, security deployment and electoral materials, “the observer groups said.

They recommended that such units be rationalised or merged without compromising voter access.

Observers also documented 12 incidents posing risks to electoral integrity, including vote buying, voter inducement, campaigning within polling units, attempts to influence voters inside voting areas, and lack of transparency during ballot counting. Most of the incidents were recorded in AMAC, though isolated cases occurred in rural councils such as Abaji.

Security presence was visible in roughly 70 per cent of the polling units observed, but about 20 per cent operated without visible security personnel. In Abaji South East Ward (A.U. Suleman II Polling Unit 003), a ballot snatching incident briefly disrupted voting before normalcy was restored.

On a broader note, the groups welcomed recent clarifications under Sections 12(1)(d) and 12(2) of the Electoral Act recognising the rights of inmates to register and vote, describing the move as progressive for electoral inclusion.

However, they urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently develop a comprehensive operational framework covering inmate accreditation, security arrangements, result management and coordination with correctional facilities, in consultation with civil society.

To strengthen transparency and public trust, PPDC and BISIGI Africa called on INEC to mandate the physical display of final polling unit results immediately after counting, ensure prompt uploads to the IReV portal, and publish detailed ward-by-ward results complete with polling unit codes.

They further recommended a review and rationalisation of polling unit distribution, separation of distribution hubs from polling centres, mandatory backup power for BVAS devices, and stronger monitoring in smaller or low-visibility councils.

Security agencies were urged to standardise deployment across all polling units and enforce zero tolerance for vote buying and campaigning within voting areas, while civil society organisations were encouraged to intensify voter education and rebuild public trust in the electoral process.

The groups said a more comprehensive post-election report providing deeper analysis of the polls would be released in the coming days.