The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will not deploy electoral materials to 86 out of the 5720 Polling Units in Anambra state because they are yet to be allotted voters.
The commission said, it did not use its powers under Section 42 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) to allot voters to the new polling units in order to minimise the disruptions that may occur from such a decision in view of the forthcoming Governorship election.
This is contained in the latest update by INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu on the commission’s preparation for the Anambra Governorship election.
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Prof Yakubu also revealed that, 894 (15.6%) of the polling units have between 1 and 49 voters saying election will hold in these polling units. He said INEC will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that all Polling Units have voters allotted to them ahead of the 2023 General Election.
“Meanwhile, in our avowed commitment to transparency, the Commission has compiled a comprehensive list of all the Polling Units without voters as well as those having under 50 registered voters.
Copies of the list will be made available to all political parties at this meeting. The same document will also be uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information”, he said.
He said, the Anambra Governorship election will be the first first that voting is taking place in polling units since the recent successful conversion of voting points arising from the expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria.
“An additional 1,112 polling units were established in Anambra State in addition to the existing 4,608 locations. This brings the total number of polling units in the State to 5,720. Voters were encouraged to seize the opportunity of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to transfer to the new polling units most convenient for them. Many did not do so”, he said.
“This can be partly attributed to the security situation in the State which has affected the Commission’s pre-election outdoor activities, including voter education and sensitisation. Understandably, the voters have also been more circumspect in asking for transfer to polling units”, he said.
He however reassured Nigerians and people of Anambra State that the Commission is ready for the Anambra State Governorship election next weekend.
“We have moved all non-sensitive materials for the election to the 21 Local Government Areas of the State. As usual, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is handling the delivery of sensitive materials to the State on schedule.
“Our State office in Awka is arranging for stakeholders to inspect the materials at the premises of the CBN in Awka. As is the case in all elections, the sensitive materials are moved under security escort to each Local Government Area from where they are distributed to the Registration Areas or Wards and finally to Polling Units on Election Day”, he said.
He also urged Party Agents to be present for inspection of the materials at the CBN and to follow the movement of the materials to various locations.
With just a few days to the Anambra election, it is our hope that any lingering grey areas will be discussed and addressed at this meeting.”
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“We will also brief you about the assurances we received from the security agencies and the outcome of our interactive meeting with the Joint Committee of the National Assembly this week.
