INADEQUATE ACCESS TO POLLING, CAUSES OF INCONCLUSIVE ELECTIONS -Prof. Yakubu

NASS Correspondent

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has said that the lack of improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process is largely hinged on poor access to polling Units which causes cases of inconclusive elections in Nigeria.

Yakubu made this known during a presentation on the state of voter access to polling units in Nigeria before a joint committee of the National Assembly in Abuja.

He revealed that although polling units are crucial to the national democratic system, access to these polling units in Nigeria is currently in crisis.

According to the INEC Chairman, since 1996 no enhancement or increment has been made to polling units resulting in badly overcrowded units, prone to electoral violence, unhealthy for voters and officials of INEC.

In his presentation, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, while underscoring the need for the creation of additional Polling Units across the country, said the current configuration of 119,973 Polling Units was established by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1996.

According to him, “the problem of voter access to Polling Units has far reaching implications for the quality of elections and democracy in Nigeria.

It is tied to a most fundamental aspect of democratic governance which is the right to vote.”

He explained further that previous attempts by the Commission to expand voter access to polling units resulted in the creation of “Baby units” to serve the rapidly growing Federal Capital Territory in 2007.

He added that, “in 2014, in the buildup to the 2015 general election, the Commission proposed the creation and distribution of additional 30,027 new polling units.

Also, within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, INEC notes that it is necessary to decongest polling units to minimise overcrowding and reduce the long distances voters travel often in overcrowded means of transport in order to vote during elections.
Yakubu also noted that, there is an urgent need to increase the number of polling units to meet you with the current number of registered voters that have increased overtime.
The last time new polling units were established in Nigeria was 25 years ago 1996, this was done by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). There were 120,000 polling units to serve a projected population of about 50 million voters in Nigeria at that time.

Nigeria’s current number of registered voters according to INEC is 84,004,084 and is expected to rise after the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ahead of the 2023 General Election.

In response, leadership of the National Assembly assured INEC that the National Assembly will support the commission completely and fully with whatever it takes to provide a convenient and more conducive environment for voting.

The President of the National Assembly, Senator Ahmad Lawan, also assured Nigerians of the full support of the National Assembly especially in the area of creating new polling units. According to him, the creation of more polling units across the country would facilitate ease of access and enable registered voters exercise their civic rights of participating during elections.

He said: “Let me assure the Chairman of INEC and, indeed, Nigerians, that the National Assembly will support INEC fully, completely and wholly in ensuring that we provide a better voting environment for our citizens.

“Whatever it takes, we will do so because democracy is about participation by the people, and voting is probably the most important thing a citizen could do to decide who leads him or her.

“Therefore, to provide a more convenient, safe and secured environment for voters is one thing that the National Assembly would always do to support INEC.

“And, we have supported INEC many times, whether through budgeting or other engagements that will facilitate the work of INEC, therefore, this one is a request that we should not even hesitate to grant. So, you have our support.

The Senate President, who underscored the need for more eligible Nigerians to participate during elections, charged politicians, political parties and Civil Society Organizations to mobilize registered voters ahead of the forthcoming General Elections in 2023.