The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that reported changes to polling units in some states followed a court ruling that led to the creation of new constituencies in Kogi, Benue and Delta states.
The commission gave the explanation following reports that it had secretly created 453 additional polling units across Nigeria without informing the public or consulting key electoral stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, disclosed this during an interview with Daily Trust on Wednesday, November 4, Naija News reports.
Ifogah insisted that the commission was not carrying out the exercise secretly, adding that it would explain the changes to relevant stakeholders after completing its internal processes.
He suggested that details of the exercise might have been leaked by an insider before the commission was ready to make an official announcement.
According to him, the creation of new constituencies following the court ruling would naturally affect the wards and polling units in the affected areas.
He explained that INEC needed to properly examine all aspects of the exercise before making the details public.
Ifogah also clarified that the current exercise was different from the polling unit expansion carried out in 2020.
During the 2020 exercise, INEC converted existing voting points into separate polling units to reduce overcrowding and make voting easier for Nigerians.
The exercise was introduced because some polling units had too many registered voters, making it difficult for voters to cast their ballots without delays.
Although some Nigerians complained about being moved to different polling locations, Ifogah said the commission ensured that the new polling units were not too far from their previous locations.
However, his explanation did not specifically confirm the reported creation of 453 additional polling units or provide details of where they were located.
Reports had indicated that Nigeria’s polling units increased from 176,846 to 177,299, representing an addition of 453 units.
INEC has yet to publish a comprehensive breakdown of the alleged changes, including the affected states, locations and administrative processes involved.
The development has raised fresh questions about transparency and accountability within the electoral commission as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
Naija News reports that the latest controversy also comes amid concerns over suspicious photographs and questionable entries discovered in INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters.
Some of the photographs were suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI), raising questions about the accuracy of the information contained in the register.
In a statement issued on October 27 and signed by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC acknowledged the concerns.
The commission said it was reviewing the affected records and investigating possible technical or procedural lapses that may have allowed the questionable entries into the register.
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