The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied reports that voters were relocated to polling units different from their original assignments during the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections, clarifying that only “split polling units” were created to ease congestion.
Wilfred Ifogah, Acting Director of INEC’s Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), explained in a statement that the measure targeted large polling units with voter registration exceeding 1,250.
“Contrary to claims circulating in some quarters, voters were not migrated.
“What the commission did was create split polling units a few meters away from the original units, within the same premises, ” Ifogah said.
Ifogah said the commission displayed voter registers at designated centres and split units four days before the elections, allowing citizens to confirm their details and polling locations.
Additionally, text messages and emails were sent on February 18, 19, 20, and 21 to affected voters, reminding them of their split unit assignments.
“These messages were intended solely to assist voters in locating their current polling units,” he added.
Regarding the conduct of the elections, Ifogah reported that 45 per cent of polling units opened by 8:30 a.m., with all units confirmed open by 10 a.m. according to the commission’s Election Operations Dashboard.
The clarification comes amid concerns from voters who reportedly struggled to locate their split units on election day, highlighting the challenges of managing high voter turnout in densely populated polling centres.
