INEC Vows to Crush Vote Buying Ahead of FCT Area Council Elections

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning against vote buying ahead of the February 21 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections.

In a statement released Wednesday in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, declared that anyone caught engaging in vote buying would face prosecution. He assured residents that the upcoming elections would be peaceful, transparent, and credible.

Over 1.6 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots across 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates vying for 68 council seats.

Prof. Amupitan emphasized that elections are a shared responsibility and stressed that INEC does not support any particular candidate. To enhance transparency, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, with results uploaded in real time to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The Commission has accredited 89 observer groups and 700 journalists to monitor the election process. Security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), will be on the ground to prevent vote buying and safeguard voters.

“Perpetrators of vote buying will be prosecuted,” the statement read, underscoring INEC’s zero-tolerance stance on electoral malpractice.