The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected claims circulating online that results were manipulated at the Kuroko Health Centre polling unit in Yangoji Ward, Kwali Area Council, during the recent FCT Area Council elections.
In a statement released Tuesday and signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the FCT, Aminu K. Idris, the commission described as false the viral claim that a political party scored 1,219 votes at the polling unit.
INEC clarified that the officially recorded and uploaded result shows the party received 121 votes — not 1,219 as alleged on social media.
The controversy arose after reports questioned how a polling unit with 345 registered voters and 213 accredited voters could produce such a high figure. According to INEC, the confusion stemmed from a clerical mistake by the presiding officer.
The officer reportedly entered 122 votes after the initial count but corrected the figure to 121 following a recount conducted openly at the polling unit. The correction was properly reflected both numerically and in words.
INEC emphasized that its technological safeguards, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, prevent inflated figures from being accepted.
The commission noted that the total number of votes recorded matched the 213 accredited voters and that any attempt to upload an impossible figure such as 1,219 would have been automatically rejected by the system.
The electoral body further assured that all results used for collation at ward and area council levels were consistent with BVAS data and maintained that the FCT elections were conducted in line with the Electoral Act and INEC regulations.
INEC urged the public and media outlets to verify information through official sources before spreading claims that could undermine trust in the electoral process. It reiterated its commitment to transparency, stating that genuine errors are promptly identified and corrected, and that the current allegations are based on a misinterpretation of corrected figures rather than any manipulation.
- Punchng