INEC says elections would not hold in 240 polling units, spread across 28 states, due to the challenge of insecurity.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Following the wave of insecurity in some parts of the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has said elections would not hold in 240 polling units, spread across 28 states.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this on Monday at a meeting with leaders of political parties.
He said; “There are 240 poling units without registered voters spread across 28 states and the FCT. They range from one polling units to 12 polling units in the states as FCT except Taraba and Imo state with 34 and 38 polling units respectively.
“No new registrant chose the polling units and no voter indicated interest to transfer to them during the last CVR mainly for security reasons. This means that no election would be held in these poling units”.
READ ALSO:
Obi-Datti ticket, last hope for Nigeria – Ayo Adebanjo
The Commission had in November last year, expressed fears that 242 polling units with 142,261 registered voters in 10 Local Government Areas of Katsina State were under serious security threat.
The Commission’s Head of the Department of Electoral Operation in the state, Husseni Jaafar, who was quoted to have made the revelation at a stakeholders meeting in Katsina, said the polling units may be affected in the elections.
He said: “We have 242 polling units in 10 security-prone local government areas of Katsina State with 142,261 registered voters. Before, there were 13 local government areas that were under security threat.
“But in an attempt to ensure that all elections are held in all polling units of the state, every month we sit with all the electoral officers of the LGAs after they have consultation with security officers and critical stakeholders in their respective local governments and discuss the prevailing situation.
“As we keep on reviewing the situation based on the reports we received from the electoral officers, presently we have only 10 local governments that we now confirm have security challenges that we cannot hold elections there.
“But all the same, nobody can say what will happen in these 10 local governments tomorrow, and despite the fact that we have this problem the commission is still working within the electoral law to come up with another plan that will enable all eligible voters to vote”.
He said the electoral umpire has directed all the electoral officers of the affected local governments to liaise with security agencies, traditional and religious leaders in order to propose a safer place that would enable the commission to relocate the affected voters to cast their vote.
He added that the INEC has inaugurated a committee with a template under his leadership that would continue reviewing the security situation of the affected 242 polling units in the 10 local governments to ensure that all eligible voters in the state exercise their franchise in the forthcoming 2023 polls.
Meanwhile, the Inter Party Advisory Council IPAC has kicked against any postponement of the election, saying under no condition should the polls be shifted.
“Mr Chairman, under no circumstances should this election be postponed says IPAC”, said IPAC chairman, Sani Yabagi.