INEC  to engage stakeholders over polling unit challenges

By Laraba Raphael

Ahead of  forth coming elections set to be  umpared by the  Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC), the commission has disclosed that it will engage stakeholders to find lasting solutions faced beligible voters during elections.

Having been faced with challenges that has led to millions of voters loosing their rights to vote.the commission has  revealed that among other issues that was deliberated  in the meeting  held on the 2nd January 2021, expanding voter access in  Polling Units  across Nigeria was their priority.

The Commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq, in a statement yesterday said that  “In the next few weeks, the Commission plans to engage with diverse stakeholders including political parties, civil society organizations, religious leaders, traditional institutions, labour unions, socio-cultural organizations, various arms of the federal government, as well as state governments. Among the burning issues to be addressed at these consultations are the challenges that declining access to Polling Units pose to democracy and election management in Nigeria.

“For several weeks, the Commission has been preparing for these national engagements to address the inadequacies of Polling Units in Nigeria and the challenges they pose to election management.  Some of these challenges include overcrowding, numerous unserved populations and poor locations, which are potentially disenfranchising millions of Nigerians, and also pose health risks in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a national problem that calls for national consensus.”

According to Okoye, “For several years the Commission has tried to address this fundamental challenge to democratic consolidation and election administration with minimal success. This has been mainly due to inadequate engagement between the Commission and stakeholders.

“Consequently, the Commission has had to resort to interim measures such as creating Voting Points at Polling Units nationwide and establishing Voting Point Settlements in the Federal Capital Territory.

“These engagements will afford an opportunity for the Commission to consult with stakeholders in order to build a genuine national consensus to address the problem of declining voter access to Polling Units.”

“The Commission appeals to stakeholders in the electoral process and Nigerians at large to work with us to address this major issue.”