BUYING OF VOTE WON'T BE TOLERATED DURING FCT POLLS- AMUPITAN

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BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR

Joash Amupitan, the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said that buying votes will not be allowed in the elections for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area councils, which are set for February 21.

He made this statement on Wednesday during a meeting with important people in Abuja.
There, he talked about how the commission is getting ready for the elections and again promised to make sure the process is peaceful, clear, and honest.

According to him, more than 1.6 million registered voters are expected to participate in the election across 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates vying for 68 elective positions in the six area councils.

He said the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) would be deployed in all polling units, while results would be uploaded in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal to enhance transparency.

The INEC leader said that 89 observer groups and 700 journalists have been given permission to watch the process. He also mentioned that many security teams will be there to keep things peaceful.

He said that people from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will be present to stop things like vote buying and other illegal election activities.

“Any individual found buying or selling votes will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law,” Amupitan said.

“Vote trading undermines the sanctity of the ballot and erodes public confidence in democratic institutions. It must not be tolerated.”

He added that 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles and 14 boats would be deployed to facilitate the movement of personnel and materials, stressing that there must be no logistical lapses on election day.

Polling units, he said, are expected to open at 8:30 am, following consultations with transport unions to guarantee timely distribution of materials.

Amupitan noted that INEC remains neutral in the contest.