Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has created additional 1,235 polling units in Imo, bringing the total number of polling units in the state to 4,758.
The state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Professor Francis Ezeonu made this known while briefing newsmen on the commission’s efforts to expand voter access to polling units on Wednesday in Owerri.
Ezeonu said over the years, there had been attempts by the commission to create additional polling units to cater for the interest of new settlements and areas with unmanageable voters’ population.
He explained that in 2011, the commission opted to create voting points and voting settlements, to address the issue of overcrowding during election and new settlements that is not served by existing polling units.
According to him the 1,235 polling units were created by converting existing voting points and voting point settlements into full polling units, adding that the commission also relocated, where necessary to new or existing polling units to places where they were closer or more accessible to voters and unserved areas.
He said INEC equally decongested existing polling units by reducing the number of voters per polling unit. The INEC REC said the additional polling units were in line with the expectation of the law which provided that ‘the Commission establish sufficient number of polling units in each Registration Area and allot voters to such polling units.’
He noted that INEC conducted five general elections using the same set and number of polling units established by the defunct National Electoral Commission in 1996 and used in 1999.
Ezeonu said the commission would continue to improve the quality of access to electoral services provided to voters by ensuring better access to polling units for persons with disabilities.
“The commission has also decided to improve the health and safety conditions at polling units during elections in order to comply with COVID-19 protocols as well as addresses declining voter turnout at elections due to lack of access to polling units.”
Reports indicate that the REC presented the local government areas in the state and the number of polling units assigned to each. Ezeonu said the commission was undertaking a verification exercise after which it would compile the new polling units, publish their names and delineation data before the resumption of nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in June.
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