Vote Buying Won’t Be Tolerated, Amupitan Warns Ahead of FCT Poll

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has assured residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of a peaceful, transparent and credible Area Council election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Speaking at a high-level stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that more than 1.6 million registered voters are expected to participate in the exercise across 2,822 polling units.

He noted that 570 candidates will be contesting for 68 seats in the election.

The INEC chairman emphasized that elections are a collective responsibility, urging political parties, candidates, security agencies, civil society organisations and voters to play their roles in ensuring a smooth process.

He reiterated that the Commission does not have a preferred candidate and remains committed to impartiality.

Prof. Amupitan warned that vote buying and other electoral malpractices would not be tolerated, stressing that measures have been put in place to detect and punish offenders.

He announced that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, while election results will be uploaded in real time to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to enhance transparency.

To further strengthen oversight, the Commission has accredited 89 observer groups and 700 journalists to monitor the process and report independently.

Security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), will be deployed alongside other security operatives to curb vote buying and ensure the safety of voters and electoral officials.

INEC called on residents of the FCT to come out peacefully to exercise their civic rights, assuring them that adequate arrangements have been made to deliver a free, fair and credible election.