FCT poll: INEC denies result manipulation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations of result manipulation at the Kuroko Health Centre polling unit in Yangoji Ward, Kwali Area Council, during Saturday’s elections. In a statement released on Tuesday, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, described the claims as false and misleading.  He noted that online reports had alleged […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations of result manipulation at the Kuroko Health Centre polling unit in Yangoji Ward, Kwali Area Council, during Saturday’s elections.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, described the claims as false and misleading.

 He noted that online reports had alleged the unit recorded 1,219 votes for a single party, despite having only 345 registered voters and 213 accredited voters.

Clarifying the discrepancy, Idris stated that the official results showed the party in question scored 121 votes, not the 1,219 figure circulated on social media.

“The Commission categorically states that the claim of manipulation or falsification is untrue,” Idris said. (NAN)

He explained that a minor clerical error occurred when the presiding officer initially recorded 122 votes for the party.

“After sorting and counting, she recorded 122 for the APC. However, upon tallying the total, she noticed an overshoot of one vote,” he explained. He added that the ballots were recounted openly in the presence of stakeholders, confirming the correct figure was 121. “She canceled the ‘2’ and inserted a ‘1’ to reflect 121, correcting the figure in both words and figures.”

Idris confirmed that the corrected result was uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and used for the final collation. He further noted that party agents present at the scene signed the result sheet, affirming its accuracy. (NAN)