The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the reported creation of 453 additional polling units to a court ruling that established new constituencies in Kogi, Benue and Delta states.
The electoral body said the changes were necessary to reflect the new constituencies, dismissing concerns that it had secretly expanded the country’s polling units ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, disclosed this during an interview with Trust TV on Wednesday.
He explained that the exercise was still undergoing internal review, adding that the commission would brief electoral stakeholders when the necessary processes had been completed.
According to Ifogah, the creation of new constituencies would naturally affect the wards and polling units in the areas concerned.
He said INEC needed to examine the implications of the changes before making an official announcement.
The commission’s explanation followed reports that Nigeria’s polling units had increased from 176,846 to 177,299, representing an additional 453 units.
However, Ifogah did not confirm the reported figure or provide a breakdown of the new polling units across the affected states.
He also denied that the exercise was being conducted secretly, suggesting that information about the changes might have reached the public before the commission was ready to announce them.
How the new exercise differs from the 2020 expansion
Ifogah said the current exercise was different from the polling unit expansion carried out in 2020.
During that exercise, INEC converted existing voting points into independent polling units to reduce congestion and improve access to voting locations.
Although the initiative was intended to make voting easier, some voters later complained about being transferred to different polling locations.
The commission, however, maintained that the new locations were not too far from the voters’ previous polling units.
Meanwhile, INEC has yet to release the full details of the reported changes, including the locations of the affected polling units and the procedures used to establish them.
Concerns over voter register
The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The commission has also faced questions over suspicious photographs and questionable entries in its preliminary Register of Voters.
INEC had earlier acknowledged concerns about photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence.
In a statement issued on October 27, the commission said it was reviewing the affected records and investigating possible technical or procedural lapses.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
The latest controversy has renewed calls for transparency as the commission prepares for the next general elections.
Kehinde Ayanboade
Kehinde Ayanboade is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Naija Metro News, with over eight years of experience covering Nigerian politics, crime, legislative proceedings and metropolitan affairs.
