By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
THE INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned Nigerians to disregard a fraudulent advertorial currently circulating on social media, which claims that the commission is recruiting for various positions.
The commission, in a statement issued on Wednesday, 16 September, through its official X handle, said its attention was drawn to a fake recruitment exercise directing unsuspecting members of the public to apply via a fraudulent portal, http://inecrecruitment.com.
According to the statement, the impostors behind the illegal activity sought to deceive applicants into submitting their details through the fake platform, despite the fact that the commission does not operate such a portal. The commission stressed that no general recruitment exercise is ongoing and that Nigerians should exercise caution.
“The impostor behind this illicit recruitment exercise also asked would-be respondents to log on to an equally fake portal – http://inecrecruitment.com to complete their applications.
“But INEC does not have any such portal,” the statement noted.
It added, “The Commission hereby calls on the public to disregard this fraudulent call for applications. The Commission IS NOT recruiting. Do not fall victim to the antics of criminal elements.”
The electoral body maintained that the public should only rely on official channels for information regarding recruitment or other activities of the commission.
By making this clarification, the commission said it reaffirmed that the ongoing online portal recently opened was strictly for the engagement of ad-hoc staff to be deployed during the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election, and not for any other form of employment.
The commission also emphasised that the legitimate recruitment of temporary staff for elections is conducted transparently and announced directly through its verified platforms.
It cautioned that members of the public must avoid responding to unofficial calls for applications, particularly those asking for personal details on unverified websites.
INEC further urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious adverts or fraudulent recruitment drives falsely linked to the commission.
It says that by clarifying the situation, it reinforced its warning that applicants should not be misled by individuals or groups attempting to exploit the public through misinformation.
