Media stakeholders have lauded Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) plans to convert voting points and voting point settlements in the country into full-fledged Polling Units (PUs).
This is contained in a communique at the end of INEC consultative meeting with the media on Friday in Abuja.
Participants at the meeting said the plan would help enhance access to polling units by voters ahead of 2023 general election and other off-cycle governorship election in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states.
They resolved that given the current state of voter access to PUs in Nigeria, expanding access to polling units was fundamental to the exercise of the right to vote and credible elections.
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“The media stakeholders urged the commission to continue exploring other options of expanding voter access to PUs as the need arises in response to increased population and demographic changes.
“The meeting agrees on the necessity and urgency for a framework and guidelines for the conversion of existing voting points and voting point settlements into full-fledged Pus.
“It was also agrees that media executives will collaborate with and support INEC in achieving this objective and in sensitising the public on the necessity of promoting measures toward a routinised and seamless expansion of voter access to PUs,” the communique said.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, earlier in his remarks, said the meeting focused on the expansion of voter access to polling units, which was at the heart of electoral democracy.
Yakubu said every eligible citizen had the right to register and vote in democratic elections, however, the right to vote could not be effectively exercised without a place to vote.
“Citizens’ right to vote must be exercised in a conducive and safe environment, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unfortunately, Nigeria has a critical problem of voter access to polling units.
“The country currently has 119,973 polling units established a quarter of a Century ago in 1996 by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON).
“At that time, the voter population was projected at 50 million. The voters’ register increased to 84,004,084 by 2019.
“We envisage that by the next General Election in 2023, the population of registered voters may be twice the number projected in 1996.
“Yet, the number of polling units remains the same. This is a national problem. It must be addressed in earnest,” the INEC chairman said.
Yakubu said the commission in 2007, 2014 and before the 2019 general election, made efforts to expand polling units- but was misunderstood and politicised because of the timing and that the citizens were not properly sensitised.
“Learning from experience, the commission has now decided to start early and to engage with Nigerians by consulting widely,” he said.
Yakubu said the meeting with the media stakeholders was in furtherance of INEC consultations with stakeholders to better communicate the commission’s intention to Nigerians.
“The meeting is to also invite for inputs across board on how to address this problem in the immediate term and hopefully establish the framework for future adjustments as the need arise.
“By coincidence, this meeting is the last engagement with our regular stakeholders.
“Earlier this week, we met with leaders of Political Parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
“In the next few days, the commission will commence the next phase of this engagement by meeting with socio-cultural associations, traditional and religious organisations, labour unions, professional and constitutional bodies.
“Some of these organisations have already confirmed the dates for our engagement with them,” he said.
Media executives including President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr Chris Isiguzo took part at the meeting physically and virtually.(NAN)
