The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has again addressed insinuations surrounding the issue of split polling units in the recently conducted FCT Area Council election held on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
In a statement issued by Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, the Commission said that while the election was conducted successfully, it observed that some voters experienced difficulties locating their designated polling units on Election Day.
However, it stated categorically that no voter was migrated in 2026, contrary to claims in some quarters that voters were moved to new or different polling units shortly before the election.
INEC explained that under its Expansion of Voters’ Access to Polling Units initiative, it created over 56,000 additional polling units nationwide in 2022, increasing the total number from 119,972 to over 176,000.
To populate the newly created polling units many of which initially had no registered voters 6.7 million voters were migrated from about 12,000 congested polling units to approximately 17,000 less congested units across the country.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 411 polling units were decongested, with about 580,000 voters redistributed to 1,156 polling units.
The Commission stressed that no new voter migration was carried out in 2026, noting that the split polling units referenced in recent discussions were created in February 2022, not this year.
For clarity, INEC explained that split polling units are additional voting points and BVAS devices deployed to ease voter accreditation and fast-track voting in large polling units with more than 1,250 registered voters. The measure, it said, is aimed at enhancing orderliness, reducing overcrowding and improving the overall voting experience.
It added that the split units are located only a few metres away from the original polling units and remain within the same premises.
To assist voters, the Commission said it provides an online Polling Unit Locator accessible via its official portal, which enables voters to confirm their polling unit by selecting their state, local government area, registration area (ward) and polling unit.
INEC further clarified that the splitting of polling units did not alter voters’ registration status but merely redistributed voters within the same location for administrative efficiency.
The Commission disclosed that during the mock election in the FCT, it observed that many voters migrated in 2022 were still experiencing difficulties locating their polling units, prompting targeted intervention.
Consequently, text messages and emails were sent to affected voters on February 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2026, indicating the locations of their polling units. The notifications, it noted, were intended solely as reminders to assist voters in identifying their designated voting points.
The Commission encouraged voters to verify their polling details ahead of elections and, where possible, physically visit their polling locations prior to Election Day.
INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, accuracy and continuous improvement in electoral service delivery, urging voters to take advantage of available verification platforms and disregard unfounded claims of recent voter migration in the FCT.