The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports suggesting that voters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were recently moved to new polling units ahead of the February 21 Area Council election.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Commission clarified that all polling unit adjustments referenced in public discussions were carried out four years ago, not in 2026. It stressed that the splitting of polling units in the FCT was implemented in February 2022 as part of a nationwide reform aimed at expanding access to voting points and easing congestion.
Under its Expansion of Voters’ Access to Polling Units initiative, INEC created more than 56,000 additional polling units across the country in 2022, increasing the total from 119,972 to over 176,000. To operationalise the new units, about 6.7 million voters were redistributed from approximately 12,000 overcrowded polling units to 17,000 less congested ones nationwide.
In the FCT alone, 411 polling units were decongested, leading to the redistribution of about 580,000 voters across 1,156 polling units. INEC emphasised that these adjustments were administrative measures designed to improve efficiency and did not alter voters’ registration status.
The clarification follows reports that some voters encountered difficulties locating their designated polling units during the recent Area Council poll. INEC acknowledged the challenges but attributed them to lingering confusion among voters who were migrated in 2022, not to any new changes made in 2026.
Explaining the concept of “split polling units,” the Commission noted that these are additional voting points created within the same premises as existing polling units to reduce overcrowding, particularly in locations with more than 1,250 registered voters. Each split unit operates only a few metres from the original polling unit and is equipped with separate BVAS devices to speed up accreditation and voting.
INEC disclosed that during a mock election conducted in the FCT, it observed that some previously migrated voters were still unsure of their voting locations. To address this, the Commission sent text messages and emails between February 18 and 21, 2026, to affected voters, providing details of their polling units. The notifications, it said, were intended solely as reminders.
Urging voters to verify their polling details before election day using its online Polling Unit Locator, INEC encouraged them to physically confirm their voting points ahead of time to avoid last-minute confusion.
Reaffirming its commitment to improving electoral service delivery, the Commission said administrative adjustments such as polling unit splitting are designed to enhance orderliness, reduce overcrowding, and strengthen the overall voting experience rather than disenfranchise voters.
By Juliet Ezeh, Abuja
