…as INEC says 546 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters
…593 polling units without registered voters in FCT
By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello has commended the joint efforts of the FCT with neighbouring states like Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi as very effective for the security of the territory.
Bello said this today in Abuja at the FCTA Expanded Stakeholders Meeting on Security matters.
The minister who noted that the meeting which is the first in 2022, brought all the 17 graded chiefs in the territory to reviewed the 2021 and look at focus for 2022.
He said, ” In our reviewed we found out that the collaborative security efforts with neighboring states of the FCT is very effective.
” And this is one aspect that we will continue to improve upon because that is where all the security agencies within the FCT and their counterpart in neighboring states of Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi work together.”
” Overall also we appreciated the efforts of all the agencies and in spite of what happened here and there within the rural communities we are quite satisfied with the efforts.”
The minister promised that the Administration has also identified and would support other areas in need of additional support.
Meanwhile the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu has revealed that ahead of the February 12 Area Council election there are 593 polling units in FCT without registered voters, 1,328 polling units with between 0-50 voters and 546 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters.
Yakubu revealed this today at the Federal Capital Territory Expanded Stakeholders Security meeting organised by the FCT Administration in Abuja.
He said that INEC had decided that no election would take place at the polling units without registered voters, adding that no materials have been produced for those units and no personnel would be deployed to them.
The INEC Chairman however assured that voting would take place in all the other polling units, noting in congested polling units, INEC would deploy more than one Biomodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, to facilitate a speedy accreditation of voters.
He also said that INEC would deploy additional staff to those locations, stressing that the commission has agreed with the security agencies to deploy more personnel to ensure peace and order.
According to him, for transparency, the commission is making the hard copies of the details locations to these polling units to all stakeholders at this meeting.
” In addition, soft copies have also been uploaded to our website. By doing, so, we want to achieve two objectives.”
” First is to ensure that voters in the FCT and indeed all Nigerians are aware of these polling units and the arrangements made for them on election day.”
” Secondly, to seek the support of all stakeholders to ensure that these polling units are populated ahead of the 2023 general election.”
He implored the support of traditional, community and religious leaders in the forthcoming election.
Yakubu, who reiterated the importance of peace to the successful conduct of the area council elections, assured that INEC would protect the integrity of the process.
” Our eyes are on all our officials, be they adhoc or regular staff, to ensure that they strictly abide by the rules. All parties, candidates and their supporters should do the same, he emphasized.
Daybreak reports that INEC boss was invited to the meeting by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, to enable him brief FCT stakeholders on preparations for the Area Councils Election slated for Feb. 12.
