Polling Units Located In Shrines, Private Residences In Anambra – Anambra REC

Awka – The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in charge of Anambra State, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, says the Commission has concluded plans to relocate polling units located in places that are difficult to access during elections.

According to him, these include polling units in forests, shrines, market places, worship centres, private residences among others.

Dr Nkwachukwu Orji disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum on expansion of voter access to polling units held on Monday in Awka, Anambra State capital.

At the forum, the Anambra INEC REC, also announced the conversion of 1,112 voting points in the State to polling units.

The new polling units which were voting points initially created out of congested polling units, when added to the existing 4,608 polling units, brings the tally to a total of 5,720 polling units.

Orji explained that the decision to relocate the units and create additional poling units was to ensure that voters do not find it difficult to exercise their franchise during elections.

“What we have observed is that some of these polling units are located at very difficult-to-access places. For instance, markets are not allowed to open on election days and the implication is that the polling units there most times do not function on the said days.

“The Commission also considered the plight of voters whose polling units are in far away forests from their locations and will relocate the units,.

“There is also the challenge of polling units in places deemed to be private residential houses. These locations give room for rigging and other forms of electoral malpractice,” he noted.

Orji revealed that the exercise was part of the efforts of the Commission aimed at addressing the numerous bottlenecks bordering on access and malpractice, so as to ensure transparency in the nation’s electoral process.

In his words, “it is heartwarming that we as a Commission, is beginning to look at the teething challenges that mitigate free, fair and credible polls in Anambra State and it is all to the credit of the vision of the present INEC leadership under Professor Mahmood Yakubu.”

Reacting to concerns raised by participants at the forum on the uconducive nature of some of the voting points, the Anambra REC, revealed that most of the facilities belong to government but the Commission will continue to engage the state government to improve on the facilities.

Meanwhile, participants at the forum had observed various shortfalls with the timing of the forum as well as the inability of the electoral body to seek inputs from them before arriving at the decisions.

The State Secretary of the PDP, Chief John Okoli-Akilika insisted that the forum ought to have been held before the decision on voting points to convert, to enable the people contribute.

On their part, the Special Adviser to Anambra State Governor on Political Matters, Barr Ifeatu Obi-okoye, and the Chairman of the Anambra Civil Society Network, Prince Chris Azor, highlighted some other issues which INEC should also look into, to include location of polling units, women participation in the electoral process among others.

They however commended the INEC for the courage to drive the conversion of the polling units, expressing the hope that when properly executed, it will reduce the problem of disenfranchisement of voters due to lack of access to the voting points.

 

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