INEC Clarifies on Result Transmission for FCT Area Council Elections
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has issued a formal clarification following media reports suggesting that its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, SAN, confirmed “real-time” transmission of results for the February 21, 2026, Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is contained in a press release signed by the CPS/Media Adviser to INEC Chairman, Mrs. Adedayo Oketola
at Abuja on February 18, 2026.
The clarification comes after the Chairman’s inspection of election preparedness in the Kuje, Gwagwalada, and Bwari Area Councils.
No Reference to “Real-Time” Transmission.
According to the Commission, the Chairman did not at any point use the term “real-time” during his interaction with journalists. INEC described the phrase as a misrepresentation of his technical explanation regarding the Commission’s established result transmission procedures.
Responding to questions about the use of technology, Prof. Amupitan reiterated that INEC has maintained a settled protocol for the electronic transmission of results since 2022.
“Since 2022, INEC has been transmitting results. We have BVAS, and BVAS is capable of accrediting and also uploading and transmitting the results. So definitely, the results will be transmitted,” he stated.
INEC emphasized that while it remains fully committed to the electronic upload of scanned Polling Unit results (Form EC8A) to its IReV portal, the upload occurs only after the completion of voting, counting, and manual signing of results by party agents at the polling unit level, in line with the Electoral Act and the Commission’s regulations.
The Commission clarified that describing the process as “real-time” suggests a live or simultaneous feed of votes as they are cast — a procedure not provided for within Nigeria’s current legal framework for elections.
Given the sensitivity surrounding election technology in Nigeria’s democratic process, INEC urged media organizations to exercise precision and professionalism in reporting technical matters related to elections.
The Commission warned that inaccurate reporting or misquoting of officials on sensitive procedures could generate avoidable public anxiety and misinformation.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a transparent and technology-driven election in the FCT and expressed confidence in continued responsible coverage by the media.
