
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman
INEC discovers 86 polling units in Anambra with no voters ahead Nov. 6 governorship poll

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said, Friday, that it has discovered a total of 86 polling units in Anambra State that had no voters.

According to INEC, the 86 polling units were among the new 1,112 new units created when the commission converted some voting points into polling units, noting that the units also had no voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

Providing update on preparations ahead the Anambra governorship elections fixed for November 6, this year, while addressing while addressing a special consultative meeting of chairmen and leaders of political parties, at its headquarters in Abuja, National Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said the agency will not deploy election materials to the affected 86 polling centres out of the 5,720 polling units in the stat, as, according to him, there are no voters.
INEC had in May increased the polling units in Anambra State from 4,608 to 5,720 with about 10,000 ad hoc workers required for the governorship poll.
“The Anambra Governorship election will be the first that voting is taking place in polling units since the recent successful conversion of voting points arising from the expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria. An additional 1,112 polling units were established in Anambra State in addition to the existing 4,608 locations. This brings the total number of polling units in the state to 5,720.
“Voters were encouraged to seize the opportunity of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to transfer to the new polling units most convenient for them.
“Consequently, out of the 5,720 polling units in Anambra State, 86; 1.5 per cent have no voters. For that reason, the commission will not be deploying personnel and materials to these polling units. Furthermore, 894 representing 15.6 per cent of the polling units have between 1 and 49 voters. The election will hold in these polling units,” he said.
The INEC Chairman explained that perhaps owing to the security situation in Anambra State, voters did not take advantage of the new polling units by transferring their cards there to ease access to polling units
He also disclosed that about 894 polling units were found to have between 1 and 49 voters, adding that election materials would be deployed in those units and voting as well as results collated.
He urged political parties to ensure that their agents monitor the release of sensitive materials from the Central Bank in Awka, Anambra State capital, as he observed that one political party had failed to nominate polling agents for the election even though it has a Governorship candidate.