Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmood Yakubu has assured voters in the country of expanded access for voting devoid of congestions.
Prof Yakubu also promised that when voter registration commences on the 28th June, citizens would have opportunities to choose new locations to cast their votes.
The INEC chairman who was speaking on Tuesday during a tour of polling units at Life Camp and Apo in the FCT as well as New Karu in Nasarawa state, expressed delight that in Karu alone, 395 voting points would be converted to polling units.
The INEC chairman, National Commissioner Mallam Haruna Mohammed as well as other top officials of the commission were on a tour of the areas to verify some of the voting points due for conversion to polling units and relocation.
He said, “The purpose of the tour is the verification that the commission is embarking on. All the national commissioners are out there in the country visiting states of the federation to verify the work of converting voting points into polling units.
“So we decided from the headquarters to visit some of the polling units, some voting points in the FCT and also in Karu in Nasarawa state. We have done that of the FCT and we are now on Karu.
“Recall that as part of our engagement with stakeholders, we showed images of some of the most congested polling units in the country from Karu in Nasarawa state. So we are here to verify the right thing is being done converting those voting points to polling units and relocating them as per the commission’s guidelines.
“We have been assured that in the whole of Karu local government about 395 voting points will be converted to polling units. So we have expanded access for voters. So when we do the voter registration, which will commence on Monday the 28th of June, we will give citizens the opportunity to choose new locations. Our hope is that we will not see that kind of congestion again in future elections.
The INEC chairman said the exercise of converting voting points to polling units would be a continuous one, adding that one exercise will not solve the problem.
He noted that going forward, the commission would be adjusting the number of polling units especially now that the mechanism has been established.
At Nasarawa INEC office located at new Karu, the electoral officer, Mr Idris Maikasuwa had told the INEC chairman that 395 voting points scattered in Nasarawa state would be converted to polling units.
While informing the INEC boss that Nasarawa has 40,000 registered voters, he requested that some of the polling units in open spaces be located inside buildings.
When the INEC chair enquired whether some polling units were located inside the palace, but the electoral officer Idris Maikasuwa said some were beside the palaces.
Some of the electoral and registration officers who were on hand to brief the INEC boss said polling units and voting points were usually congested during elections hence the need to create more.
The Electoral officer for AMAC, Mrs Fatimatu Bakare had told the INEC officials that the Minister’s Gate at Life Camp consisted of a polling units and six voting points distributed in the area, some of which are located at the Stella Maris School.
At the Government Secondary School in Gwarimpa, which apart from serving as a polling unit, is used as RAC as well as registration point, Bakare said there were 12 voting points in the secondary school.
Also at Apo, Bakare said there were two polling units and 10 voting points adding up to 12 polling areas.
