INEC breaks silence on reported 453 additional polling units

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that changes to polling units in some parts of the country are linked to a court ruling that resulted in the creation of new constituencies in Kogi, Benue and Delta states.

The commission’s clarification follows reports alleging that it had created 453 additional polling units nationwide without public announcement or consultation with key electoral stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The reported development has raised questions about transparency and accountability, particularly as INEC has consistently maintained that Nigeria has 176,846 polling units.

Some media reports, however, put the current figure at 177,299, representing an alleged increase of 453 units.

Speaking during an interview with Trust TV on Wednesday, INEC Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, said the changes were connected to the creation of new constituencies following a court judgment.

He explained that the establishment of additional constituencies would naturally require corresponding adjustments to the wards and polling units within the affected areas.

Ifogah said the commission was not undertaking the exercise secretly, adding that INEC would provide a comprehensive explanation to electoral stakeholders after completing its internal processes.

He suggested that information about the exercise might have emerged prematurely through an internal source before the commission was ready to make an official announcement.

According to him, INEC needed to examine all relevant aspects of the changes and ensure that the necessary administrative procedures were completed before making the details public.

The commission’s spokesperson also distinguished the current exercise from the nationwide polling unit expansion conducted in 2020, when INEC converted existing voting points into standalone polling units to address congestion and improve voters’ access to polling locations.

He recalled that the earlier exercise was designed to reduce overcrowding in polling units with large numbers of registered voters, although some voters subsequently raised concerns about being relocated to different voting locations.

Ifogah, however, maintained that INEC ensured that the newly created polling units were not situated too far from voters’ previous locations.

Despite the clarification, the commission has yet to specifically confirm the reported 453 additional polling units or provide a state-by-state breakdown of the alleged changes.

Details of the affected locations, the number of polling units involved and the administrative processes through which the adjustments were made are also yet to be officially published.

The development comes amid growing scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly following concerns over suspicious photographs and questionable entries identified in the commission’s preliminary Register of Voters.

The commission had earlier acknowledged concerns over photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence on some voter profiles.

In a statement issued on October 27 and signed by the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission said it was reviewing the affected records and investigating possible technical or procedural lapses.

The latest controversy has further heightened calls for transparency in the commission’s electoral preparations, with stakeholders expected to seek greater clarity on polling unit adjustments, voter registration records and other administrative decisions ahead of the 2027 elections.