The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has warned that vote buying will not be tolerated in the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections scheduled for February 21.
Amupitan gave the assurance at a high-level stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, where he outlined the commission’s preparations and reiterated INEC’s commitment to conducting a peaceful, transparent and credible exercise.
According to him, more than 1.6 million registered voters are expected to participate in the polls across 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates contesting 68 elective positions in the six area councils of the FCT.
He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed in all polling units for voter verification, while election results would be uploaded in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal to enhance transparency and public confidence in the process.
Amupitan disclosed that 89 observer groups and about 700 journalists have been accredited to monitor the elections. He added that multiple security agencies would be deployed to maintain order, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), who will be on ground to deter vote trading and other electoral offences.
“Any individual found buying or selling votes will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law,” Amupitan said, adding that vote trading undermines the integrity of the ballot and erodes public confidence in democratic institutions.
To address logistics, he said INEC would deploy 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles and 14 boats to ensure the timely movement of personnel and materials. Polling units are expected to open at 8:30 a.m., following consultations with transport unions to prevent delays.
The INEC chairman emphasised the commission’s neutrality in the contest. “INEC does not have a political party and does not have a preferred candidate. Our mandate is clear: to provide the enabling environment for residents of the Federal Capital Territory to freely choose their representatives,” he said.
He called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and urged security agencies to remain professional and impartial throughout the election.