. . . Says ‘we’reputting finishing touches’

By TINA TIMOTHY

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that there would now elections in 593 polling units during the February 12, 2022 Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja because they have no registered voters.

Also, the Commission has disclosed that 1,328 polling units have between 0-50 voters, while 546 polling units have just over 1,000 registered voters.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made these know while addressing astakeholders’ meeting on the 2022 Area Council Elections organised by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) held in Abuja onThursday, 3rd February 2022.

He attributed the development to the inability of voters to take advantage of the Commission’s expansion of voter access to polling units.

Drawing attention to a few areas where the Commission needs the support of all stakeholders in the FCT with respect to the Saturday 12, 2022 Area Council polls, Yakubu said: “You may recall that early last year, INEC succeeded in expanding voter access to polling units for the first time in 25 years, in spite of the apparent expansion of the voter population and emergence of new settlements.

“From just 562 polling units, the Commission established additional 2,260 units and relocated some of them from congested locations to proximate but underserved areas. We gave voters the opportunity to transfer to some of the new polling units. Unfortunately, voters did not take advantage of this opportunity as we had expected in all cases.

“Consequently, there are 593 polling units in the FCT without registered voters, 1,328 polling units with between 0-50 voters and 546 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters. We have already informed political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies at the national level about this development.

“The Commission has decided that no election will take place at the polling units without registered voters. No materials have been produced for these units and no personnel will be deployed to them. However, voting will take place in all the other polling units. For congested polling units, the Commission will deploy more than one BVAS to facilitate a speedy accreditation of voters. We will also deploy additional staff to these locations. We also agreed with the security agencies to deploy more personnel to ensure peace and order.”

“For transparency, the Commission is making the hard copies of the detailed locations of these polling units to all stakeholders at this meeting. In addition, soft copies have also been uploaded to our website.

“By doing so, we want to achieve two objectives. First is to ensure that voters in the FCT and indeed all Nigerians are aware of these polling units and the arrangements made for them on Election Day. Secondly, to seek the support of all stakeholders to ensure that these polling units are populated ahead of the 2023 General Elections. We need the support of especially the traditional, community and religious leaders in this regard,” the INEC Chairman appealed.

Meanwhile,INEC has assured Nigerians that major activities for the Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been concluded as the commission was only putting finishing touches to a few activities.

Prof. Yakubu gave the assurance during the stakeholders meeting.

The INEC Chairman, while thanking the FCT Minister for convening the meeting and bringing all the stakeholders together, reiterated his assurance on intensifying engagement with stakeholders ahead of the election.

“With only nine days to the election, major activities have been concluded. Right now, the Commission is only putting the finishing touches to our preparations. Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was conducted over a period of six months. Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) have been printed and made available for collection. There are enough ad-hoc staff engaged and trained for the election. Non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the various Area Councils. Non-pharmaceutical materials have been procured to protect voters and personnel from COVID-19 in line with the Commission’s policy based on the protocols prescribed by health authorities.

“Voter education and publicity are ongoing. Transport arrangements have been made, including motorcycles for remote locations and boats for riverine areas. We have had several meetings with the security agencies in the Area Councils, the FCT and the national level on how to address potential threats to the election and secure the process. They have also been trained on the code of conduct for security personnel on election duty to ensure their neutrality and professionalism.

“With regard to election technology for voter accreditation, the Commission has reviewed the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the recent Anambra State Governorship election. Lessons learnt from that election have been considered in planning for the Area Council elections. The BVAS have been configured and ready to be deployed for the election. We have also made adequate arrangements for technical support and transportation to speedily respond in the unlikely event of glitches on Election Day. Similarly, election results will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV) in real-time when voting ends and votes are counted at polling units on Election Day,” he said.

Yakubu also expressed satisfaction with the behavior of the political parties, as well as their candidates and commended them for their “advocacy for peaceful elections.”

“The Commission is happy with the behaviour of parties and candidates in the FCT. So far, there are no adverse reports of clashes between supporters of different parties and not many incidents of hate or inciting speeches as they canvass for votes. I commend the stakeholders for their advocacy for peaceful elections. I appeal to political parties and candidates to continue to show maturity and decorum as campaigns come to a close and Election Day draws nearer.”

The INEC Chairman, however, noted that: “the 2022 FCT Area Council Election is not without its fair share of litigations. Right now, there are eight cases in court, challenging the nomination or educational qualification of candidates.

“Some of the cases are already before the Supreme Court. However, contrary to the Commission’s experience in previous elections around the country, there are no conflicting judgments or orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction anywhere on the forthcoming FCT elections.

“Let me seize this opportunity to appreciate the judiciary, particularly the FCT High Court, for standing firm to the shenanigans of forum shoppers and litigation-happy individuals who often waste the precious time of the Courts and INEC by litigating even the most improbable cases.”

Reiterating on the importance of peace, the INEC Chairman concluded by saying: “Let me once again reiterate the importance of peace to the successful conduct of the Area Council elections. For our part, we will protect the integrity of the process. Our eyes are on all our officials, be they ad-hoc or regular staff, to ensure that they strictly abide by the rules. All parties, candidates and their supporters should do the same. No one will benefit from the disruption of the process or other acts of bad behaviour. Let the voters in the FCT choose their leaders in a free, fair and peaceful contest.

“In terms of grassroots democracy, FCT is a leading light in Nigeria with its regular and well-conducted Area Council elections. Each political party has the chance of winning an election in the FCT. Let the 2022 Area Council election be the beacon for a peaceful and credible 2023 General Election,” he said, adding that all candidates for Abuja Councils election would sign a peace agreement on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at NAF Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.

•INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, addressing thestakeholders’ meeting on Thursday