The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims of result manipulation in the FCT Area Council elections. The allegation involved Kuroko Health Centre polling unit in Yangoji Ward, Kwali Area Council.
In a statement signed by the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu K. Idris, the commission described as false a viral claim that a political party scored 1,219 votes at the polling unit.
According to INEC, the official result shows the party scored 121 votes. Therefore, the widely circulated figure of 1,219 votes is incorrect and misleading.
The commission explained that the polling unit has 345 registered voters and 213 accredited voters. As a result, a total of 1,219 votes would have been mathematically impossible.
INEC said the discrepancy arose from a human error by the presiding officer. She initially entered 122 votes for the party. However, after a recount conducted openly, she corrected the figure to 121. She also amended the result sheet to reflect the accurate number.
Furthermore, INEC stressed that its technological safeguards prevent manipulation. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System recorded 213 accredited voters. The score entered for the party was 121. These figures, the commission said, were consistent.
In addition, INEC noted that any attempt to upload an inflated figure such as 1,219 would have been automatically flagged and rejected by the system.
The commission urged the public and media commentators to verify information with official records before drawing conclusions. It added that genuine errors are corrected immediately to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
