INEC unleashes EFCC, ICPC on vote buyers ahead of FCT Poll

2026-02-19 - 01:27

*Rebuts ‘real-time’ claims, clarifies transmission protocol By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA—The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned against electoral malpractice, giving an “express mandate” to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to apprehend vote buyers during Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said: “The Commission has given an express mandate to the EFCC and ICPC to deploy their personnel to polling units. Any individual found buying or selling votes will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law.” He added that vote trading “undermines the sanctity of the ballot and erodes public confidence in democratic institutions” and “must not be tolerated.” The elections, set for February 21, 2026, involve 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates contesting 68 constituencies for chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship seats. Addressing neutrality concerns, Amupitan stated: “Let me reiterate that INEC does not have a political party and does not have a preferred candidate. Our mandate is clear: to provide the enabling environment for residents of the FCT to freely choose their representatives.” He confirmed that the Commission has implemented all 13 items on its timetable, with only the conclusion of campaigns and the election remaining. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been “upgraded and will be deployed in all 2,822 polling units,” supported by 11,873 polling officials and a logistics fleet of 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles, and 14 boats. “Our collective duty is to ensure that votes are cast freely, counted accurately and reflected transparently. Let us raise the bar and consolidate the FCT’s standing as a model for local government elections in Nigeria,” he said. Meanwhile, INEC has debunked reports that results will be transmitted in “real time.” Chief Press Secretary Adedayo Oketola described the term as a technical misrepresentation. Clarifying the Chairman’s comments, the Commission explained that electronic transmission has been in place since 2022 but only occurs after voting concludes, ballots are counted, and result sheets are signed by party agents. “Since 2022, INEC has been transmitting results. We have BVAS, and BVAS is capable of accrediting and also uploading and transmitting the results. So definitely, the results will be transmitted,” Prof. Amupitan said, emphasising that “real-time” streaming as implied by some reports is neither provided for in law nor in INEC’s operational guidelines.