CPC petitions INEC over alleged 30,000 fake polling units

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has petitioned Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, over alleged non-existence of 30,000polling units in some parts of the country.

In a letter to Jega, the CPC’s National Votes Guards and Awareness Organisation said the issue was capable of derailing next month’s elections.

The  March 1 petition  and signed by the National Coordinator of the organisation, Mr Mohammad Kailani, was made available to reporters in Kaduna yesterday.

It alleged that CPC, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other pressure groups had identified non-existent polling centres.

“Of the 120,000 polling units declared by INEC for the general elections, 30,000  are found to be non-existent.

“This figure was arrived at after thorough research, investigations and calculations conducted by us-CPC, ACN and other stakeholders, including civil society groups,’’ the petition read in part.

The CPC claimed that the number of polling centres in some electoral wards were reduced without any explanation.

It said, for instance, Rigasa ward in Igabi federal constituency of Kaduna State, with an estimated population of two million, with 126 voting units, was reduced to 26 without any reason.

The group pointed out that the stage was set for a monumental electoral fraud if INEC failed to address these issues before the polls.

“As a body that wants to ensure free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria, we hereby advice INEC to take immediate corrective measures,” CPC urged.

CPC suggested that INEC  should conduct a physical census of its polling units in order to eliminate the 30,000 non-existing ones.

It also recommended the removal or relocation of  “all illegal polling units located at the palaces of emirs, obas, obis, chiefs and houses of party chieftains.

The party said such polling units should be relocated to places where elections could be conducted “transparently’’.

Besides, CPC urged INEC to collaborate with media houses and security agencies to publicise, enforce laws regulating election rules and prohibit the circulation and use of arms during electioneering.

A bomb explosion occurred on March 3 in Suleja in Niger State during Governor Babaginda Aliyu in which six persons 10 died. 12 others were hospitalised.