The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that voters were migrated to new polling units during the February 21, 2026 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), clarifying that it only created split polling units to reduce congestion.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commission stated “categorically that voters were not migrated,” explaining that large polling units with more than 1,250 registered voters were divided to ensure smoother voting.
According to INEC, the split polling units were situated a few metres away from the original units and within the same premises.
The Commission said the measure was taken to avoid overcrowding on election day. It recalled that the voters’ register was displayed at designated centres and split polling units four days before the election to enable residents confirm their details and polling locations.
INEC added that text messages and emails were sent to affected voters between February 18 and February 21 as reminders of their updated polling unit locations.
Providing an update on the electoral process, the Commission said that as of 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, 93 per cent of polling unit results had been uploaded to its Result Viewing (IReV) portal for public access.
The elections were conducted for chairmanship positions across the six Area Councils of the FCT and 62 councillorship seats. While most results were declared on Saturday, the result for Kuje Area Council was announced at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday due to delays caused by the difficult terrain in Kabi Ward, which affected collation.
INEC acknowledged concerns about voter apathy but noted improved turnout compared to the 2022 Area Council elections. The Commission said over 239,210 voters participated in the 2026 polls, representing about 15 per cent of the 1,680,315 registered voters in the FCT, compared to 148,685 voters, or 9.4 per cent, recorded in 2022.
