The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that out of the 2,260 polling units in the FCT 593 of them have no registered voters and no election would take place at the polling units.
INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who said this on Thursday at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja prelude to the February 12 Area Council election, “noted that no materials have been produced for these units and no personnel will be deployed to them.”
Yakubu said during the creation of additional polling units nationwide, voters were given the opportunity to transfer to some of the new polling units but did not avail themselves of this opportunity.
Yakubu said, “From just 562 polling units, the commission established additional 2,260 units and relocated some of them from congested locations to proximate but underserved areas.
“We gave voters the opportunity to transfer to some of the new polling units. Unfortunately, voters did not take advantage of this opportunity as we had expected in all cases.
“Consequently, there are 593 polling units in the FCT without registered voters, 1,328 polling units with between 0-50 voters and 546 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters.
“We have already informed political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies at the national level about this development.
“The commission has decided that no election will take place at the polling units without registered voters. No materials have been produced for these units and no personnel will be deployed to them.
“However, voting will take place in all the other polling units. For congested polling units, the commission will deploy more than one BVAS to facilitate a speedy accreditation of voters. We will also deploy additional staff to these locations. We also agreed with the security agencies to deploy more personnel to ensure peace and order.
“To ensure that voters in the FCT and indeed all Nigerians are aware of these polling units and the arrangements made for them on election day, hard copies of the polling units were distributed while the soft copy has been uploaded at the INEC’s website.”
Prof Yakubu also said this would help to seek the support of all stakeholders to ensure that these polling units are populated ahead of the 2023 General Election adding that the commission needed the support of especially the traditional, community and religious leaders in this regard to publicize the new polling units.
The INEC boss also spoke on other preparations for the FCT election remaining only nine days.
.”With only nine days to the election, major activities have been concluded. Right now, the Commission is only putting the finishing touches to our preparations.
“Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was conducted over a period of six months. Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) have been printed and made available for collection. There are enough ad hoc staff engaged and trained for the election. Non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the various Area Councils.
“Non-pharmaceutical materials have been procured to protect voters and personnel from COVID-19 in line with the Commission’s policy based on the protocols prescribed by health authorities.
“Voter education and publicity are ongoing. Transport arrangements have been made, including motorcycles for remote locations and boats for riverine areas.
“We have had several meetings with the security agencies in the area councils, the FCT and the national level on how to address potential threats to the election and secure the process. They have also been trained on the code of conduct for security personnel on election duty to ensure their neutrality and professionalism.
“With regard to election technology for voter accreditation, the Commission has reviewed the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the recent Anambra state governorship election. Lessons learnt from that election have been considered in planning for the Area Council elections.
“The BVAS have been configured and ready to deploy for the election. We have also made adequate arrangements for technical support and transportation to speedily respond in the unlikely event of glitches on election day.
“Similarly, election results will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV) in real-time when voting ends and votes are counted at polling units on Election Day”,Yakubu said.
He also expressed happiness with the political parties and the stakeholders in FCT for their ability conduct their campaigns peacefully.
“The commission is happy with the behaviour of parties and candidates in the FCT. So far, there are no adverse reports of clashes between supporters of different parties and not many incidents of hate or inciting speeches as they canvass for votes.
“I commend the stakeholders for their advocacy for peaceful elections. I appeal to political parties and candidates to continue to show maturity and decorum as campaigns come to a close and Election Day draws nearer.
He also said that “The 2022 FCT Area Council election is not without its fair share of litigations. Right now, there are eight cases in court challenging the nomination or educational qualification of candidates.
“Some of the cases are already before the Supreme Court. However, contrary to the Commission’s experience in previous elections around the country, there are no conflicting judgments or orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction anywhere on the forthcoming FCT elections.
“Let me seize this opportunity to appreciate the judiciary, particularly the FCT High Court, for standing firm to the shenanigans of forum shoppers and litigation-happy individuals who often waste the precious time of the Courts and INEC by litigating even the most improbable cases.”
