Follow Us on Google
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied the speculations that it migrated voters to new or different polling units shortly before last Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council election.
The commission, in a statement by Adedayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC chairman, stated that no voter was migrated in 2026.
The electoral umpire further admitted that though the election was conducted successfully, some voters experienced difficulties locating their designated polling units on election day.
Making further explanation, the commission noted that under its expansion of voters’ access to polling units initiative, it created over 56,000 additional polling units nationwide in 2022, increasing the total number of polling units from 119,972 to over 176,000.
INEC further clarified that the splitting of polling units did not alter voters’ registration status, but merely redistributed voters within the same location for administrative efficiency.
The statement read: “While the election was conducted successfully, the commission observed that some voters experienced difficulties locating their designated polling units on Election Day.
“However, contrary to claims in some quarters that voters were migrated to new or different polling units shortly before the election, the commission states categorically that no voter was migrated in 2026.
“Under the commission’s Expansion of Voters’ Access to Polling Units initiative, it created over 56,000 additional polling units nationwide in 2022, increasing the total number of polling units from 119,972 to over 176,000.
Other News
“In order to populate the newly created polling units, many of which had zero registered voters at the time, 6.7 million voters were migrated from about 12,000 congested polling units to approximately 17,000 less congested polling units across the country. “In the FCT specifically, 411 polling units were decongested, with about 580,000 voters redistributed to 1,156 polling units.
“The commission noted that no new voter migration was carried out in 2026. The split polling units referenced in recent discussions were created in February 2022 and not in 2026.
“For clarity, split polling units are additional voting points and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices deployed to ease voter accreditation and fast-track voting in large polling units with more than 1,250 registered voters.
“The objective is to enhance orderliness, reduce overcrowding and improve the overall voting experience. These split units are located only a few metres away from the original polling units and remain within the same premises.
“However, the commission observed during the mock election in the FCT that many voters who were migrated in 2022 were still experiencing difficulties locating their polling units, necessitating targeted intervention.
“Accordingly, text messages and emails were sent to affected voters on Wednesday, February 18, Thursday, February 19, Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, indicating the locations of their polling units. These notifications were intended solely as reminders to assist voters in identifying their designated voting points.
“The commission encourages voters to verify their polling details ahead of elections, and where possible, physically visit their polling locations prior to Election Day.
“INEC reiterates its commitment to continuous improvement in electoral service delivery and urges voters to take advantage of all verification platforms provided in order to avoid unnecessary inconvenience,” the statement read.
