INEC Increases Kwara Polling Units To 2,887

• INEC has increased Kwara polling units to 2,887 in a bid to increase the numbers of voters during elections.

 

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend said Kwara has 2,887 polling units after the commission converted 1,015 voting points to polling units.

Breakdown of the 2,887 polling units includes Asa local government area145 polling units, Baruten 230, Edu 175, Ekiti 76, and Ifelodun 236.

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Others are Ilorin East 320 polling units while Ilorin South has 275, Ilorin West 464, Irepodun 158, Isin 80, Kaiama 124, Moro 142, Offa 173, Oke Ero 76, Oyun 108 and Patigi 105 polling units.

There were 1,872 polling units in all the 16 local government areas Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Garba Attahiru-Madami, said in Ilorin, during a stakeholders’ meeting on “expansion of voter access to polling units in Kwara”.

He added access to polling units was very essential to increase the numbers of voters during elections.

Attahiru-Madami lamented Nigeria has never recorded above 35 per cent of voters during elections, adding that Ghana– the country’s next door neighbour– had recorded over 50 per cent of voters in elections time.

Attahiru-Madami said the 119,973 polling units in the country were created in 1996 to take care of 50 million voters.

He added INEC registered over 84 million voters for the 2019 general elections, noting the 119,973 polling units were grossly inadequate.

He believed that many eligible voters refused to vote because of the distance of polling units to their residences, resulting in apathy.

The INEC chief added that converting voting points to polling units would reduce the overcrowding of voters during elections and also bring polling units closer to the people.

He noted that polling units can only be located inappropriate public places like town halls, community halls, health centres, court premises and open spaces.

Attahiru-Madami added that polling units cannot be sited at private homes, religious places, politicians’ residences, royal fathers’ homes and places of dispute.

He said INEC would continue to address the issue of polling units after the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as the commission was targeting 120 million voters for 2023 elections.

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