2023: INEC will hold elections in Imo, as REC confirms 2.4m voters registered

Despite Imo topping its list of troubled spots ahead of the 2023 General Elections in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its readiness to conduct credible, free and fair election on February 25 in the state.

Out of the 240 polling locations which the commission identified as hotbeds of violence, Imo State registered 38 locations, with only Taraba coming second with 34 polling stations as INEC said elections cannot hold on February 25 and March 11, this year, due to unregistered voters.

Recurring violence prevented eligible voters from either registering for the forthcoming electoral exercise, or completing the process of registration for those who had stared it.

INEC had suffered up to four attacks on its facilities since 2022 in Imo, resulting to the death of some staff of the commission.

The commission has however, restated its determination to conduct the elections, in spite of the attacks.

INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. Sylvia Agu, who gave the assurance, Wednesday at a news conference to announce the commission’s preparedness for the election, said that about 2.4 million registered voters in Imo were eligible to vote during the election.

“As at the close of work on February 3, about 375,004 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC), comprising 206,463 old cards, 116,734 new cards and 51,807 reprints have been collected,” she said.

Agu said that over 4,500 people who filled forms on issues relating to PVCs had been attended to.

The REC assured that the commission had made adequate arrangements to carry out voting in volatile areas of the state, particularly in Okigwe and Orsu Local Government Areas.

She noted, however, that election would not hold in 38 polling units in the state where the commission recorded zero registration.

Agu said that zero registration were recorded in Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ezinihite Mbaise, Ideato North, Isiala Mbano, Isu, Njaba, Ohaji/Egbema, Orlu, Oru East, Owerri Municipal and Owerri North Local Government Areas.

“On level of preparedness, INEC in Imo State is fully ready for the elections.

“All non-sensitive materials have been received and distributed to various Local Government Areas.

“Diverse trainings have been concluded and the training of presiding officers and assistant presiding officers is still on-going.

“The next set of trainees will focus on registration areas, technical collation officers.”

Agu said that after the training, the commission would recruit a reasonable number of ad hoc staff for the elections.

It would be recalled that, earlier Monday, INEC ruled out voting in 240 polling stations across 28 states over rising insecurity across the affected locations of the country, adding further Imo and Taraba states topped the list of troubled spots with 38 and 34 polling stations ruled out.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this, Monday, during a meeting with political party leaders, said the affected locations also included the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“There are 240 polling units without registered voters spread across 28 states and the FCT. They range from one polling unit to 12 polling units in the states as FCT except for Taraba and Imo states with 34 and 38 polling units respectively.

“No new registrant chose the polling units and no voter indicated interest to transfer to them during the last CVR mainly for security reasons. This means that no election would be held in these poling units,” the INEC Chairman said.