INEC Chair Flags Low FCT Voters Turnout
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has described the turnout in the recent FCT Area Council elections as distressingly low.
Speaking at a National Peace Committee meeting in Abuja, he said that although votes increased from about 148,000 in 2022 to over 239,000 this year, the percentage participation remained poor.
He said the election was largely peaceful and over 93 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the IReV portal by Sunday afternoon. However, he warned that voter apathy remains a serious threat to democracy and cannot be solved by INEC alone.
He also clarified that no voter was migrated in 2026, explaining that additional polling units were created earlier to ease congestion.
Amupitan announced new dates for the 2027 general elections, with presidential and National Assembly polls set for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
He added that party primaries will run from April 23 to May 30, 2026, under the revised Electoral Act.
He further raised concerns about vote-buying, logistics delays and security challenges, urging political parties and security agencies to act responsibly.
The National Peace Committee also called for stronger collaboration to protect the integrity of future elections.
