The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed reports of 453 additional polling units ahead of the 2027 general elections to a court ruling that created new constituencies in Kogi, Benue and Delta states.
The commission said the establishment of new constituencies would require corresponding adjustments to electoral wards and polling units in the affected areas.
INEC Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, disclosed this during an interview with Trust TV on Wednesday, amid allegations that the commission increased the number of polling units nationwide without public announcement or consultation with electoral stakeholders.
Reports had indicated that Nigeria’s polling units increased from the officially stated 176,846 to 177,299, representing an additional 453 units.
Ifogah, however, assured that the commission was not conducting the exercise secretly, saying INEC would explain the changes to stakeholders after completing its internal processes.
He suggested that information about the exercise might have emerged prematurely through an insider before the commission was ready to make an official announcement.
According to him, the commission needed to properly examine the implications of the court ruling and ensure that all necessary arrangements were completed before making the details public.
He explained that the current exercise differed from the 2020 polling unit expansion, when INEC converted existing voting points into standalone polling units to reduce congestion and improve access for voters.
Ifogah recalled that the previous exercise was designed to address overcrowded polling locations, although some voters subsequently raised concerns about being relocated.
He said the commission ensured that the new polling units were not situated too far from voters’ previous locations.
However, the INEC official did not specifically confirm the reported figure of 453 additional polling units or provide a breakdown of the affected states and locations.
The commission is yet to publish comprehensive details of the reported changes, including the locations of the affected polling units and the administrative procedures through which they were established.
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The development comes amid growing scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly following concerns over suspicious photographs and questionable entries in its preliminary Register of Voters.
The commission had earlier acknowledged concerns over photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence on some voter profiles.
In a statement issued on October 27 and signed by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC said it was reviewing the affected records and investigating possible technical or procedural lapses.
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