Voters Were Not Migrated: INEC Clarifies Split Polling Unit Policy for FCT Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved to correct what it describes as a misconception regarding changes to polling unit locations during Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections, insisting that voters were not migrated to new locations but were instead provided with split units to ease congestion.

INEC conducted elections on Saturday, 21st February 2026, for the positions of Chairman in the six Area Councils of the FCT, as well as for the 62 councillorship seats.

While results for five Area Councils were announced on Saturday night, the declaration for Kuje Area Council was delayed until 3:30 pm on Sunday, 22nd February 2026.

Following the conclusion of the polls, the Commission addressed concerns from voters who reported difficulties locating their designated polling units, specifically addressing claims that some individuals had been migrated to entirely different locations.

“Contrary to the claim in some quarters that some voters were migrated to another/new polling units different from their original polling units, the Commission wishes to state categorically that voters were not migrated,” the Commission said in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah.

INEC explained that the changes were a logistical measure aimed at improving the voting experience. “What the Commission did was to create split polling units in large polling units with voters registration of over 1,250 voters to avoid congestion on election day,” the statement clarified. According to the Commission, these new split units are located just a few meters away from the original polling units, typically within the same premises.

To ensure affected voters were fully aware of these adjustments, INEC noted that it undertook extensive public awareness campaigns. “The public will recall that the Commission displayed the Register of Voters at designated centres/split polling units four days to the Area Council elections to enable voters confirm their details and polling unit locations,” Ifogah stated.

Furthermore, the Commission engaged in direct outreach to guide voters. “Text messages/emails were sent to the affected voters on Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2026 indicating the actual locations of their split polling units,” the statement reads. INEC emphasized that these messages “were intended solely as reminders to assist them in identifying their current polling units.”

On the conduct of the election, INEC reported a smooth operational start, noting that according to its Election Operations Dashboard, “45% of polling units opened for voting as at 8:30am, while all polling units were confirmed open by 10:00am on Election Day.”

The Commission also highlighted significant progress in transparency, announcing that by 2:00 pm on Sunday, 22nd February 2026, “the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal had reached 93%.” Residents of the FCT and other interested members of the public were encouraged to access results from the six Area Councils via the portal.

Analyzing the participation data, INEC noted a positive trend despite lingering worries about low turnout. While expressing that it “remains concerned about voter apathy,” the Commission pointed to a substantial increase in voter numbers compared to the previous cycle. In the 2022 Area Council election, a total of 148,685 voters were recorded, representing 9.4% of registered voters. In this election, “over 239,210 voters voted, representing approximately 15% of the 1,680,315 total registered voters in the FCT.”

Regarding the delay in declaring the Kuje result, INEC attributed it to geographical obstacles. “The delay in the results of Kuje Area Council is due to the difficult terrain of Kabi ward, which delayed the final collation of the Area Council results,” the statement explained.

Concluding its update, INEC extended its gratitude to the electorate. “The Commission appreciates the residents of the FCT for their peaceful conduct and cooperation throughout the electoral process,” the statement read. It added that the participation recorded across the six Area Councils “is indicative of citizens’ continued trust in building democracy and the electoral system.”