· Commission expresses concern over campaign violence
· Under no circumstances should election be postponed, IPAC warns
· Election must hold in all parts of Nigeria, CDS, Irabor, warns
The Independent National Electoral Commission'(INEC) has disclosed that elections will not hold in 240 out of the 176, 846 polling units earmarked for the February 25 and March 11 elections in the country.
The number of polling units where election will it take place, accordingly to INEC, spread across 28 states with Imo State leading with 38 polling units, while Taraba State has 34.
INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who made the disclosure while addressinge chairmen and leaders of the 18 registered political parties at the commission’s headquarters on Monday in Abuja, said the affected polling units had no registered voters attached to them.
This is as the commission has also expressed its worry over the increasing violence by political parties supporters against their opponents during campaigns.
Professor Yakubu, who charged the political party leaders to control and warm their supporters against campaign violence, tasked the security agencies to arrest, investigate and prosecute those behind the violence
“Let me therefore start with the issue of polling units. You may recall that in 2021, with your support and that of other critical stakeholders, the Commission successfully expanded voter access to polling units 25 years after the last delimitation exercise in 1996. Consequently, the number of polling units increased from 119,973 to the current figure of 176,846.
“At previous meetings, we also briefed you on our efforts to redistribute voters to the polling units in order to avoid the congestion that made voting cumbersome in many of them nationwide. This requires the redistribution of voters to new polling units in proximate locations. Where they are separated by distance, this must be done after consultation with the voters.
“This has been done by our State offices nationwide. However, there are 240 polling units without registered voters spread across 28 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They range from one polling unit to 12 polling units in each State and the FCT, except Taraba and Imo States with 34 and 38 polling units respectively. No new registrants chose the polling units and no voters indicated interest to transfer to them during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), mainly for security reasons. This means that no elections will hold in these polling units.”
The INEC boss noted that in line with the commission’s avowed commitment to transparency, it will make available to Nigerians a comprehensive list of the polling units by name, code number and their locations by State, Local Government and Registration Area.
It added that with the development, the number of polling units where elections will hold nationwide on 25th February 2023 and 11th March 2023 is now 176,606.
“Closely related to the distribution of voters is the identification of polling units. From the feedback we received from our officials and accredited observers following the recent nationwide mock accreditation using the BVAS, it is clear that some voters could not easily identify their polling units. This should not happen on election day. Consequently, the Commission is advising voters to confirm the locations of their polling units through a dedicated portal on our website.
“In addition, all voters who have been assigned to new polling units will receive text messages from the Commission indicating their polling units. We have also compiled the register of such voters and our State offices will give it wide publicity, especially for those who may not have provided their telephone numbers during voter registration or those whose numbers may have changed. Voters can locate and confirm their polling units before election day by sending a regular text or WhatsApp message to a dedicated telephone number. Details of the simple procedure will be uploaded to our social media platforms shortly.
“As you are already aware, we have less than two weeks to the 2023 General Election. The Commission is finalising the issuance of 1,642,386 identification tags for the Polling and Collation Agents nominated by the 18 political parties made up of 1,574,301 Polling Agents and 68,085 Collation Agents. I urge the Chairmen and leaders of political parties to ensure that only agents accredited by the Commission and wearing the correct identification tags appear at polling units and collation centres during elections. A situation where two or more agents claim to represent a political party, resulting in commotion at polling units or collation centres, is unacceptable. Only Identification tags issued by the Commission will be recognised on Election Day and violators are liable to arrest and prosecution for impersonation.”
Under no circumstances should this election be postponed, IPAC warns
Reacting to the INEC chairman’s address, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) warned that the 2023 general elections must not be postponed by INEC, no matter the level of pressure on circumstance
IPAC chairman and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Party (ADP), Yusuf Sani Yagbaji expressed the Council’s confidence in INEC for its consistent demonstration of diligence, uncommon zeal and patriotism in the pursuit of the agencies statutory mandate, even as he reiterated the continual commitment of IPAC to the long standing cooperation and mutual beneficial relationship between it and the commission.
He said, “On the basis of our evaluation that INEC has been well on track, the leadership of IPAC additionally wishes to use this occasion to commend, the efforts of INEC in confronting the extraordinary environmental challenges occasioned by naira redesign and fuel scarcity through Mr. Chairman’s visit to the relevant agencies.
“By what we hear and read in the news, your mock accreditation exercise was a success. That is very encouraging. As we know, a mock examination cannot be taken to be the real examination whose coverage is wider and complex. So far, the BVAS that were used were reported to have performed perfectly. We are encouraged by this and also wish to appreciate INEC while expecting them to keep the flag of perfection flying.
“The 2023 general elections seemingly will be a watershed in the history of elections in Nigeria. Today, the tide has changed, because an unknown Party could pull a surprise to the greatest chagrin of all. From this point of view, it is necessary to advise INEC to keep its date with history which must not be wasted.”
The IPAC chairman urged INEC, especially the chairman to use the opportunity of the 2023 election to create a golden niche for itself, adding that “Nigerians are watching, the international community is watching and the Parties are palpitating: I therefore call on all Nigerians of good conscience to take credible results of the election the way it is.
“Today it is an abhorrence and crudity if not savagery to see States Governors denying campaign venues to political parties other than their own. This is crude, primitive and uncivilized
“Finally, I would want to admonish party leaders that having observed that the elections are conducted free, fair and credible, the result should be accepted for the love of our country
“Mr. Chairman, under no circumstances should this election be postponed. Having noted this, I wish to congratulate all the Parties for patting up the healthy campaigns while thanking INEC with great expectations to deliver a credible election,” Yagbaji stated
Election must hold in all parts of Nigeria, CDS, Irabor, warns
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Leo Irabor, has declared that no part of the counry should be left out in the 2023 general elections as schedule, warning that elections must hold in all parts of the counry
Geberal Irabor, who made the declared on Monday at the presentation of the scorecard of the Ministry of Defence under the Muhammadu Buhari administration in Abuja from 2015 till date, dismissed alleged threats by some elements within the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that election would not hold in the South east
He stated that elections would unfailingly hold in the South East and all other parts of Nigeria on February 25 and March 11, 2023, as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission, warning that no individual or group would be allowed to disenfranchise Nigerians from voting for candidates of their choice.
The CDS warned that the armed forces of Nigeria will be ready to ensure that all Nigerian citizens go out and vote for candidates of their choice without any form of molestation or hindrance.
Irabor said, “An operation is being conducted in the South East and it is geared towards bringing some sanity to bear in the entire South East and to ensure that the citizens have the confidence to go out and exercise their franchise on the 25th of February and the 11th of March 2023.
“So, be rest assured and I would like to enjoin you journalists to spread the message that elections will hold in all parts of Nigeria and especially in the South East. The armed forces of Nigeria are working in concert with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to ensure that the menace of criminality from IPoB/ESN is eliminated,” the CDS declared.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), has revealed that the Nigeria armed forces had defeated and chased out the Boko Haram terrorists from all the local government areas in the North Eas, adding that no part of the country was under the control of any terrorist group.
The minister said, “As far as we are concerned no part of this country is held by any Boko Haram or ISWAP.”
Explaining further, the CDS noted: “Whereas no territory is under the control of any of those criminal elements, operations must continue because there are a few stragglers among them. The final cleansing is ongoing to clear the remnants of terrorists in the northeast or any part of Nigeria. There is no territory of Nigeria let alone the North East that is under the control of any of those criminal elements. But that does not imply that they are not still making attempts to ensure that their last vestiges remain, which of course, we are holding onto to ensure that they don’t exist.