PDP Calls INEC to Build Election Integrity

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Lagos State Chapter has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC first to consider building election integrity above expansion of polling units ahead of 2023 polls.

This was disclosed by the state spokesman, TaAfik Gani while speaking to journalists on Sunday.

He noted that the commission should concentrate on directing its efforts at attaining a substantial electoral reform that would make the electorate’s votes count.

According to him: “The issues of INEC and acceptable election processes are beyond polling units. Creating 100 PUs on a street won’t change the integrity problem in our elections.

“Why can’t we have electronic voting linked to voters’ ID and the election can be done online,” Gani added.

It should be recalled that INEC had on Feb. 5, began engagement with stakeholders on additional voters’ access to polling units.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s stakeholders meeting with political parties’ leaders in Abuja, said expanding voter access to polling units was crucial to voter turnout in elections.

According to him, it has been gathered from experience that enhanced voter access to polling units increased turnout.

Leaders of the political parties who were physically present at the meeting signed a communique, noting the credit in INEC’s proposal in modifying the existing voting points and voting points settlement nationwide to polling units to deal with the issue of voter access.

The leaders also decided that the commission should begin conversion based on clearly articulated guidelines to be developed by INEC and shared with stakeholders.

Currently, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has 119,973 Polling Units across the country.