FCT election: INEC Chair expresses displeasure over late opening of polling units
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan has expressed displeasure over the late opening of polling units during the February 21 Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections.
Amupitan said such a delay during electioneering process across the country is “unacceptable”.
The INEC chairman made this known while presiding over a high-level meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 states of the country and the FCT.
The meeting was held at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja as part of a critical appraisal of the just-concluded FCT Area Council and state constituency elections.
It also aimed to set the agenda for the upcoming Ekiti and Osun Governorship polls and the 2027 General Election.
According to the Commission’s Election Operations Dashboard, only 45% of polling units in the FCT opened by the mandated 8:30am time while 100% were open by 10:00am.
“There will be consequences for any act capable of sabotaging the process,” Amupitan said.
He noted that all the commission’s staff responsible for delays in the Kuje Area Council and Kabusa Ward have been queried, and the transporter responsible for delays in the Kwali Area Council will be blacklisted from other elections.
At the meeting, Amupitan firmly debunked rumours of “voter migration” in 2026, explaining that the exercise was part of the 2022 Polling Unit expansion.
As part of that initiative, 6.7 million voters were redistributed nationwide from 12,000 congested units to 17,000 new ones.
In the FCT alone, 580,000 voters were moved to 1,156 new polling units to ease congestion.
The INEC chairman further directed all RECs to intensify continuous voter education, urging citizens to verify their polling units via the online portal.
He also used the opportunity to receive a delegation from the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) and swore in a re-appointed REC for Enugu State, Chukwu Joseph.
