2023 POLLS: Why Elections will not hold in 240 polling units-INEC
Oru Leonard
Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood has disclosed that elections will not hold in 240 polling units announced without registered voters spread across 28 States and the Federal Capital Territory.
INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu stated this on Monday in Abuja during a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties.
“The polling units 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“. he announced.
He said that no new registrants chose the polling units and no new voters indicated interest to transfer to them during the last Continuous Voter Registration, mainly for security reasons.
“What this means is that no elections will hold in these polling units. 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.”
Professor Yakubu said, adding that the number of polling units where elections would now hold nationwide on the 25th February and 11th March this year was 176,606 out of 176,846.
Professor Mahmood also urged leaders of political parties to ensure that only agents accredited by INEC who wear correct identification tags appear at polling units and Collation Centres during elections .
He said that the Commission would not tolerate situations where two or more agents would claim to represent a political party at the polling units.
Professor Yakubu emphasized that only identification tags issued by the Commission would be recognised on Election day and that violators would be arrested and prosecuted for impersonation.
“The Commission is finalising the issuance of 1,642,386
Identification tags for the polling and Collation Agents nominated by the 18 political parties made up of 1,574,301 polling agents and 68,085 collation agents. “
On Electioneering, Professor Yakubu appealed to the Chairmen and leaders of political parties to ensure that their supporters desist from acts capable of causing disunity in the society.
He also called on the Security ,Intelligence and law enforcement agencies to arrest, investigate and prosecute anyone involved in violent conduct including those that made statements capable of breaching the peace of the society.
Speaking, the Chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council ,IPAC Alhaji Yagbagi Sani who commended INEC for the level of preparedness for the election urged them to avoid anything that would make them to postpone the election.
Alhaji Sani also urged leaders of political parties to accept the result of the elections and go to Court where they felt cheated and he also advised the citizens to go about their legitimate duties on Election days.
