The Independent National Electoral Commission in Ogun State has disclosed that not less than 1,832 Polling Units have been created as additional voting centres to the 3,210 existing ones across the state.
The commission said the creation of new polling units is part of the commission’s voter access expansion.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. AbdulGaniy Raji, said this on Monday in Abeokuta, during a stakeholders meeting on expansion of voter access to polling units and commencement of continuous voter registration exercise.
Raji explained that it was imperative to create additional polling units because of the declining voter access to voting centres in the state.
He further explained that difficulty in accessing the location of PUs, distance, inadequacy, and the emergence of new settlements and estates have forced the commission to create new polling units.
He noted that all these have contributed to low voter turnout at elections, violation of election regulations and guidelines, violence and insecurity.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner however lamented that repeated attempts to expand voter access to polling units were allegedly stalled by “politicisation and conspiracy theories about the commission’s intentions.”
Raji added, “The commission at its meeting held on Tuesday 20th April, 2021 deliberated on the subject and approved the lower and upper thresholds for voting points to 500 and 750 voters respectively.
“On the basis of this, additional 1,832 polling units were marked for creation from existing polling units within the threshold. This brings the number of units in Ogun state from the existing 3,210 to 5,042.
“Memoranda and requests that have been received from communities and stakeholders over the years were collated and considered as much as possible and feasible on line with the guidance in the location of the new PUs.”
Raji further said the commission will be commencing the continuous voter registration effective on Monday 28th June 2021; an exercise which will be continuous nationwide.
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