|By Chinwendu Nwani
The National Peace Committee (NPC) has raised fresh security concerns ahead of the February 21, 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, identifying Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Gwagwalada, Bwari and Kuje as high-risk areas requiring heightened security attention.
The warning came during a courtesy visit by an NPC delegation to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed emerging threats that could undermine the conduct of the elections.
Speaking at the meeting, NPC Project Manager, Mrs Asabe Ndahi, urged security agencies to proactively deploy personnel to identified flashpoints to guarantee a smooth and credible poll. She described the FCT elections as a critical test run for the 2027 general elections, scheduled to hold exactly one year later.
According to her, the elections would serve as a “mirror” through which Nigerians would begin to assess the preparedness of institutions ahead of the next nationwide polls, making early risk mitigation imperative.
Ndahi disclosed that the NPC, through The Kukah Centre, has been gathering election security data on the FCT since June last year. She explained that the committee’s assessment framework focuses on two major areas: incidents of election-related violence that may occur before Election Day but could affect the process, and an electoral offences tracking system aligned with the Peace Accord, the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
She identified AMAC as a major hotspot, citing reported threats among candidates and a high tendency for vote buying as key risks.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, the NPC highlighted lingering indigene-settler tensions and a history of political thuggery, particularly in Jiwa community. She added that inter- and intra-party disputes among candidates have also heightened tensions in the area.
Bwari Area Council was described as especially sensitive due to farmer-herder conflicts, incidents of kidnapping and limited security presence in some communities. Ndahi noted that disputes over candidate legitimacy, including court rulings affecting party nominees, could further inflame political tensions.
She also listed Kuje and Kwali Area Councils as vulnerable, largely because of their proximity to Kaduna and Niger States, where prevailing security challenges could spill into the FCT. Kwali, the largest Area Council, was reported to have recorded repeated security incidents in certain communities, including kidnapping cases and areas with minimal visible security deployment.
Ndahi said the NPC would share its full context analysis with INEC ahead of the elections to support preventive and intelligence-led security measures. She expressed optimism that sustained engagement among stakeholders, coupled with proactive security planning, would ensure a peaceful, credible and violence-free electoral process in the FCT.
