By: Taiwo Amodu – Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu has said the forthcoming general elections would not hold in 240 polling units across the country.
Yakubu made the disclosure on Monday at a meeting with leadership of the 18 political parties in the country.
The INEC Chairman said the identified polling units without registered voters spread across 28 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He assured the gathering of political parties leaders that no election would hold in the identified polling units. With the development, he further disclosed that the number of PUs have reduced from 176,846 to 176,606.
He said:” “However, there are 240 polling units without registered voters spread across 28 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They range from one polling unit to 12 polling units in each State and the FCT, except Taraba and Imo States with 34 and 38 polling units respectively. No new registrants chose the polling units and no voters indicated interest to transfer to them during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), mainly for security reasons. This means that no elections will hold in these polling units.
“In our avowed commitment to transparency, the Commission is making available to Nigerians a comprehensive list of these polling units by name, code number and their locations by State, Local Government and Registration Area. With this development, the number of polling units where elections will hold nationwide on 25th February 2023 and 11th March 2023 is now 176,606. Hard copies of the list are included in your folders for this meeting. Above all, Nigerians deserve the right to know the locations of these polling units. Accordingly, the soft copy of the list has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information and guidance. ”
Speaking on its plan to redistribute voters, the INEC Chairman said it was necessary to decongest certain polling units and redistribute eligible voters to new polling units in proximate locations.
“Let me therefore start with the issue of polling units. You may recall that in 2021, with your support and that of other critical stakeholders, the Commission successfully expanded voter access to polling units 25 years after the last delimitation exercise in 1996. Consequently, the number of polling units increased from 119,973 to the current figure of 176,846.
“At previous meetings, we also briefed you on our efforts to redistribute voters to the polling units in order to avoid the congestion that made voting cumbersome in many of them nationwide. This requires the redistribution of voters to new polling units in proximate locations. Where they are separated by distance, this must be done after consultation with the voters.
This has been done by our State offices nationwide.”
Aside the distribution of voters, Professor Yakubu said prospective voters who could not identify their polling units during the recently conducted mock accreditation conducted by his Commission should endeavour “to confirm the locations of their polling units through a dedicated portal on our website. In addition, all voters who have been assigned to new polling units will receive text messages from the Commission indicating their polling units. ”
In his remarks, Presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party and Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, Engineer Yabagi Yusuf Sani appealed to political parties to be prepared to submit themselves to the outcome of the elections. He also vowed that the political parties would resist any attempt to postpone the elections.
“INEC should create a golden niche for herself especially the Chairman who has become the child of history, Nigerians are watching, the international community is watching and the Parties are palpitating: I therefore call on all Nigerians of good conscience to take credible results of the election the way it is. At worse. Parties should resort to the law court for adjudication Today it is an abhorrence and crudity if not savagery to see States Governors denying campaign venues to political parties other than their own. This is crude, primitive and uncivilized.
“Finally, I would want to admonish party leaders that having observed that the elections are conducted free, fair and credible, the result should be accepted for the love of our country
“Mr. Chairman, under no circumstances should this election be postponed! Having noted this, I wish to congratulate all the Parties for patting up the healthy campaigns while thanking INEC with great expectations to deliver a credible election.”
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