FCT Poll: INEC explains disputed result at Kwali voting centre

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations of result manipulation at Kuroko Health Centre polling unit in Yangoji Ward, Kwali Area Council, during Saturday’s election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a statement, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, described the claim as false and misleading, insisting that the figures circulated online did not reflect the official results.

According to him, reports on social media alleged that the polling unit recorded 1,219 votes for a political party despite having only 345 registered voters and 213 accredited voters.

Idris clarified that the party actually scored 121 votes at the polling unit, not 1,219 as claimed in the viral reports.

“The Commission categorically states that the claim of manipulation or falsification is untrue and misleading,” he said.

He explained that a minor clerical error occurred when the presiding officer initially entered 122 votes for the party before discovering an overcount of one vote during final tallying.

According to him, the ballots were recounted openly at the polling unit, confirming that the correct figure was 121 votes.

“She cancelled the two and inserted one to reflect 121. She also corrected the figure in words,” he explained.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner said the corrected result was uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and subsequently used for collation.

He added that party agents present at the polling unit signed the result sheet, confirming the accuracy of the figures.

“It was the correct result that was entered into Form EC8B at ward collation,” he said.

Idris stressed that the commission’s technological safeguards made the alleged manipulation impossible, noting that presiding officers are required to upload Form EC8A to the IReV portal and enter results directly into the BVAS device.

He explained that the BVAS system automatically validates entries and prevents results from exceeding the number of accredited voters.

“In this case, accredited voters were 213, and the score entered for the party was 121,” he said.

According to him, any attempt to enter 1,219 votes would have been rejected instantly by the system and flagged at various collation stages.

He described the IReV portal as a transparency tool that mirrors polling unit results uploaded directly from the field, adding that BVAS-driven validation helps prevent over-voting and numerical manipulation.

Idris maintained that the election in the FCT was conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

He urged the public and the media to verify election-related information using official sources, assuring that the commission remains committed to transparency and accountability.

The electoral body said the controversy stemmed from a clerical error that was corrected immediately and did not affect the official results.