INEC to create more voting units in Plateau

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Plateau State, Mr. Habu Zarma, has disclosed that the commission will create additional 1, 542 voting centres to bring the total to 4, 142.

Plateau originally had 2, 63l polling units.

Zarma, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Jos during an interactive session on modalities of the April general elections, pointed out that the decision became imperative in view of the fact that Plateau recorded more voters during the last registration exercise.

According to him, most of the centers registered over 900 people. Therefore, additional voting points will be created to take care of the situation.

He also announced that INEC would use neutral grounds as collation centres during the elections to avoid any confusion like the one that led to the November 28 crisis in Jos.

Plateau State Coordinator of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Bulus Dabit, advised voters to wait behind after they had been accredited to cast their votes.

He further advised that the voters should ensure that the votes were counted in their presence to avoid rigging during the elections.

Dabit, who spoke while addressing the stakeholders at the interactive session, advised that voters should insist they are shown all the materials for the election, including the ballot boxes to ensure that they are not stuffed with already thumb-printed ballot papers.

Dabit also asked voters to ensure that the number of used ballot papers should be equal to the number of ballot papers issued at the polling station less the number of unused ballot papers.

“They should also insist that in a situation where the total votes cast exceed the number of registered voters, the result of the poll be rendered null and void and delivered accordingly.”