Politics
FCT: INEC Assures On Credible Poll
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is committed to conduct credible area councils election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by February 12, 2022, with appropriate technology deployment and its innovative tools.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated this while speaking at the ongoing INEC FCT Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) Amber Zone Implementer’s workshop, on Monday in Abuja.
Oyekanmi said that the technology deployment and its innovative tools would be on election monitoring and support systems.
He said that the EMSC and the commission’s newly-introduced Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) remain critical factors in ensuring success in upcoming election in the six area councils of the FCT.
He said that while the BVAS was introduced to improve on the credibility of elections in the country, EMSC helps the commission to identify and mitigate potential risk in the conduct of an election in the country.
He listed the commission’s election monitoring components to include Election Management System (EMS), Electoral Risk Management (ERM) and Election Operations Support Centre (EOSC).
“EMSC has become a vital tool in the monitoring, implementation and management of Nigeria’s electoral plans and activities.
“The EMSC makes available to the commission the necessary information in making real-time interventions to avert or mitigate potential risks or threats to an election,” Oyekanmi said.
In his presentation, titled “Communication Strategy”, Oyekanmi said communication was critical to the operations of the EMSC, hence the need for an appropriate strategy that strings together the personnel involved in the operational structure of the EMSC.
“The EMSC Communication Strategy aims at enhancing effective dissemination of information in a timely manner.”
He also re-emphasised INEC’s commitment to addressing some of the glitches noticed with BIVAS during the Anambra governorship election before the FCT poll.
The Project Coordinator, European Centre for Election Support (ECES), Mr Hamza Fassi-Fihr, in his remarks, described the workshop as an important step towards the conduct of transparent and credible area council election in the nation’s capital city.
Fassi-Fihr said that the FCT election was critical, as the first election to follow the Anambra governorship election where the BVAS was deployed on an extensive scale, after the Isoko by-election, in Delta State.
“We know that the system worked overall well despite the glitches and technical issues it has suffered, be it related to the software or to the handling of the device by the ad hoc staff or the voters.
“In this context, therefore, the FCT Area council election will be an important step forward for the Commission as it will have the opportunity to prove on the functionality of the BVAS, enhancing its acceptability among the stakeholders and at a very strategic moment which will be one year before general election,” Fassi-Fihr said.
The project coordinator said it was the expectation of the centre that the conduct of the FCT area councils election would set the standard for future elections, especially election monitoring.
“Monitoring the level of readiness of the commission across the various electoral operations and the pace of implementation through the EMSC is important to the successful conduct of the election.
“The EMSC helps the commission have a real time view on the electoral process and continually adjust to evolving context on the ground.
“This workshop is therefore of utmost importance as it will allow sharing the information on what has been done so far, where you stand and what needs to be done.
“I am sure that the EMSC tool will once again play its role as it did in the 2019 general election, and other off cycle governorship elections,” Fassi-Fihr said.
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.