Electoral commission stops use of worship centres, palaces as polling units in Nigeria
The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has banned the use of worship centres and palaces as polling units, just as it announced newly created 56,872 Polling Units (PUs) as well as other electoral arrangements.
Penpushing reports that, the chairman of the commission Prof Mahmood Yakubu made the pronouncement on Wednesday at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja.
The electoral boss said with the creation of the new polling units Nigeria now has 176,846 full-fledged polling units against its initial 119,974 polling units in the states and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory(fct).
Penpushing further reports that, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pegged the total number of polling units removed from ‘inappropriate places’ at 749.
“After wide ranging consultations with stakeholders and fieldwork by our officials, the 56,872 Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements were converted and added to the existing 119,974 Polling Units,” Yakubu said.
“Consequently, the Commission is glad to report that 25 years since the current Polling Units were created in 1996, the hard nut is finally and successfully cracked after several unsuccessful attempts. Nigeria now has 176,846 full-fledged Polling Units’, he added.
“Of this figure, 232 were removed from private properties, 145 royal palaces, six Mosques, 21 Churches and nine Shrines. The remaining 336 Polling Units were relocated for various reasons which include distance, difficult terrain, congestion, communal conflict, new settlements and general insecurity.”
The commission boss said the country would no longer use voting points starting with the November 6, 2021, Anambra Governorship election, stressing that while the new development will not be used for the four pending 2021 by-elections in Kaduna, Jigawa and Plateau States.
“For subsequent elections, beginning from the Anambra State Governorship election holding on 6th November 2021, there will be no Voting Points any more in Nigeria’, Yakubu emphasised
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