By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that results for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, scheduled for February 21, 2026, will not be transmitted in real time.
Oketola said INEC’s chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, was misquoted by some media outlets after he visited polling preparation centres in Kuje, Gwagwalada, and Bwari Area Councils.
He said: “We wish to clarify that at no point during his engagement with the press did the chairman use the phrase ‘real-time.’ Such a description is a misrepresentation of his technical explanation of the commission’s processes.”
Oketola explained that Amupitn had only reiterated the commission’s existing protocol for electronic result transmission, which has been in operation 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 said.
The statement noted that the commission remains committed to electronically uploading scanned polling unit results, known as Form EC8A, to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
It said the upload takes place only after voting, counting, and manual signing of results by party agents at polling units, and not simultaneously as votes are cast.
According to the statement, describing the process as “real-time” is inaccurate because it suggests a live feed of votes as they are cast, which is not provided for under the legal and regulatory framework guiding elections.
