INEC Set to Publish List of New Polling Units

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will publish a comprehensive list of all new polling units across the nation next week.

The commission’s Chair, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed this yesterday in Abuja while speaking at the formal handing over of a new state-of-the-art fire truck, deployed to the Commission’s headquarters by the Federal Fire Service (FFS).

Yakubu noted that by the second week of May, the details of the locations of registration centers and the procedure for the commencement of online registration for resumption of nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) would be made available.
He lauded the Federal Fire Service and all security agencies for lending hands in supporting and protecting INEC facilities
He acknowledges that the support was coming on the eve of the resumption of the CVR nationwide in the next three weeks.

In his words: “We earlier assured Nigerians that we shall conclude work on the expansion of voter access to polling units and make the new polling units available to citizens ahead of the CVR exercise.
“I am glad to report that we have accomplished this task for the first time in 25 years.

“A comprehensive list of the new polling units will be published next week.

“Similarly, details of the locations of the registration centres and the procedure for the commencement of online registration will also be made available after a series of regular consultative meetings with stakeholders next week.”

Yakubu further said the FFS which is a member of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had been as concerned as other security agencies about the recent attacks on INEC’s offices across the country.

“This is particularly so because out of the 42 attacks on our facilities nationwide, 18 incidents resulted from arson and three more by a combination of arson and vandalisation.”

He noted that the commission had convened an emergency meeting of ICCES in April, where the security agencies renewed their determination to collaborate more with INEC.

“On its part, the Federal Fire Service offered to deploy an additional state-of-the-art fire engine to the INEC headquarters to complement the two existing trucks.

“At the same time, it directed its state offices to take additional protective measures around other INEC facilities nationwide.

“Today’s inauguration of the new fire engine is another affirmation of the support to the commission from the FFS whose personnel, already deployed permanently to the commission
“The personnel will continue to operate and maintain the fire engines and other firefighting equipment installed by INEC,” Yakubu added.