**Improvement in Voter Participation in FCT Polls, Despite Challenges** Last Saturday's Area Council elections in Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, saw a significant increase in voter participation, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). While some voters reported feeling disconnected from the electoral process, the commission reported an impressive 15% voter turnout, surpassing the 9.4% recorded in the 2022 polls. INEC attributed the improvement to their efforts in registering over 1.6 million eligible voters in the FCT. This year, over 239,000 voters cast their ballots, representing a substantial increase from previous elections. However, some voters still faced challenges in locating their designated polling units, a common issue in many Nigerian elections. To address these concerns, INEC implemented a system to split large polling units with excessive voter registrations, ensuring that voters were not disenfranchised. The commission also displayed voters' registers at designated centres and sent reminder texts and emails to affected voters to facilitate their voting process. Despite these efforts, some voters still experienced difficulties in accessing their polling units. INEC acknowledged these challenges and commended the electorate for their cooperation and participation throughout the process. The commission's Election Operations Dashboard showed that 45% of polling units were open for voting by 8:30 a.m., while all units were accessible by 10:00 a.m. The commission's IReV portal, which allows citizens to view polling unit results in real-time, also made significant progress, with 93% of results uploaded by Sunday afternoon. INEC attributed the delay in announcing the results of Kuje Area Council to the challenging terrain of Kabi ward, which hindered the final collation of results. The commission expressed gratitude to the FCT electorate for their continued trust in the electoral system, noting that the improved voter participation is a testament to citizens' commitment to building democracy in Nigeria.