ABUJA — October 12, 2026

Kingsley Ohens reporting

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised the alarm over a fraudulent publication circulating online and falsely attributed to the Commission, purporting to contain a special announcement concerning governorship candidates in Delta, Kano and four other states.

In a public notice issued on Monday, October 12, the electoral umpire categorically disowned the publication, describing it as fake and stressing that it did not originate from the Commission.

The notice identified the six states mentioned in the misleading publication as Zamfara, Gombe, Delta, Plateau, Yobe and Kano, while clarifying that claims suggesting INEC had issued a special announcement concerning governorship candidates in the affected states were false.

The Commission urged Nigerians to disregard the publication and refrain from sharing it, warning against the spread of unverified information capable of misleading the public on electoral matters.

INEC also advised citizens, political stakeholders and other interested parties to verify electoral information through its official communication channels rather than rely on unverified online publications.

The Commission’s recognised platforms include its official website, inecnigeria.org, its verified social media accounts under the name INEC Nigeria and the handle @inecnigeria, as well as its news portal, inecnews.com.

For further enquiries and clarification, members of the public can contact the INEC Call Centre on 0700-2255-4632, dial the short code 4632, call 090844444333 or 09050858629, or send an email to iccc@inec.gov.ng.

Reaffirming its commitment to keeping Nigerians accurately informed, the Commission called on the public to remain vigilant and exercise caution when consuming or sharing electoral information, particularly claims attributed to the electoral body.

The warning underscores the importance of responsible information sharing and verification as Nigerians continue to rely on official sources for credible updates on electoral affairs.